My Interview with Barbro Andersen

This post was originally published in March 2011.

Barbro Andersen is - without a doubt - my favourite blogger. I wanted to include her in my WHO'S THAT GIRL series for a while but was too shy to ask her for an interview. I gathered my courage last week and finally asked her. Being the sweetie that she is, she agreed!
I have been reading her blog for over a year and while I know a lot about her tastes in fashion, I realized that I wanted to know more about her personal life. She answered all my questions with candor - and they weren't easy!  I cannot thank her enough.
- Marie

 

BARBRO ANDERSEN

Oslo, Norway

NAME: Barbro Andersen       BLOG: BARBRO ANDERSEN

STYLE: "I'm an experimental romantic juggling a rocker chic vibe, with comfortable elements in an elegant and dark palette."

SHE'S FABULOUS BECAUSE: She uses her beautiful country as a background for her stylish outfits.  She is incredibly talented behind and in front of the camera.  Her photos are so beautiful that they could be featured in fashion magazines!  She was a finalist in Vixen Blog Awards 2010. 

1. What are the best and the worst things about living in Norway - beside the weather?

The very best part of Norway is the nature. Our scenery is just breathtaking, especially by the coast. We have the amazing northern lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis; which can only be described as magic. Norway is also safe. There’s so imminent danger of war, no fear of earth-quakes or other horrible natural disasters. We are a democracy, we all support gay-marriage and our health-care system is beyond belief.

The worst thing about being Norwegian is the overload of arrogant and negative people. You’re not supposed to be anyone, and you most certainly aren’t unique. It’s an ignorant mentality that ruins a lot of lives, because no one wants to be judged for who they really are: so they tend to “go normal” and suppress their true selves. Bloggers here in Norway get anonymous comments from other Norwegians telling them to kill themselves because they are so unbelievably ugly. Who does that?

2. You visited San Francisco a few weeks ago. It was your first time in North America. What surprised you the most?

Yes, it was so amazing! The thing that surprised me the most was how polite Americans are. I always knew that Americans were well-mannered and kind, but it genuinely surprised me when I got to experience it firsthand! A woman I met one time almost ten years ago opened up her home to me and let me stay there for the weekend; she showed me around the city and took me sightseeing over the Golden Gate, to the east coast beach, up to Twin Peaks and bought me dinner. The kindness was almost overwhelming, in a very good way, and I feel honored to know such beautiful people.

3. You have always been open about being gay and you seem very comfortable in your own skin. What would you say to someone who was still in the closet?

It is very different for everybody. I don’t have any problems with being openly gay now, but I had a really hard time coming out of the closet. I was very lucky, though, because my parents accept me for who I am and love me regardless of what I do. As do my friends. My advice would be to not force yourself to do anything you don’t want to do. If you’re not ready to come out of the closet yet, don’t – but at the same time keep in mind that it is incredible liberating once you take that step. You will feel the weight of a whole world being lifted of your shoulders. And when is the right time, anyways? It was indeed the best thing I ever did. We humans tend to overanalyze everything in our heads all the time and make it all seem worse than it actually is: but if your worst fears do come true and your friends or your parents don’t accept you for who you are, you are better off without them. Really! Surround yourself with love and acceptance, not hate and ignorance. No matter what. Besides: most parents and friends just need some time getting used to it, and usually respect you for who you are eventually.

4. You married the love of your life last summer at a beautiful wedding. Tell us about how you two met and how you knew that she was the one.

We actually met online almost six years ago! It’s kind of a funny story, because we both lived in this small town with only seven thousand people in it in northern Norway. Our paths never crossed until that day. She sent me an instant message within this small online-community, and we just couldn’t stop writing to each other. We wrote every day for about three weeks about silly things like road-trips and how cute we thought each other were; before we finally met. It was a warm day in late July, and I had invited her over with some of her friends for a small party. We started out with an awkward hug, but kissed later that night. Several times, actually.

I had already been enrolled at a school on the other side of the country and arranged everything to move, so this infatuation could not have come at a worse time. I went off to school in the middle of August over 700 miles away, and we had a really rough six months with heartache before I finally returned home for Christmas vacation. On the 20th of December we decided to go steady, and we’ve been together ever since. I know she is the one because I can’t imagine life without her. She’s my whole life.

  

5. You have been nominated for fashion blog awards and won great prizes over the years.  What is your best memory? What are you the most proud of?

Yes, I have been very, very lucky and that is much thanks to my friends and followers for voting for me here and there and everywhere – but I’m actually most proud of the fact that people keep on visiting my little style diary! It continues to amaze me how kind people are out there in the whole wide world. That’s not a given, and I’m so honored and happy to be able to experience it. Living in a small town caused a lot of problems for me personally, and I had a really hard time growing up; so I’m just happy to see that people actually can support each other regardless and not judge you for who you are. Thank you for that!

Thanks to the lovely Barbro and make sure to visit her blog!