HUMANS WE HEART: JOURNALIST ALYSSA LAPID

Whether it’s keeping us informed with her interviews with @bustle, there's a thousand reason to love Alyssa Lapid. Reason #1.00000? Her STYLE! We recently had the chance to ask her about her background chatted all about it, as well as some of her current favorite reads, listens, and more.

Coffee Order: 

Iced soy latte.

Ideal outfit: 

A slinky slip dress with comfortable shoes or a silk camisole with jeans and a unique kimono. 

Podcasts/albums/playlists in your earbuds:

Not gonna lie, I listen to BTS 90% of the time. I also have a few audiobooks in my queue borrowed from the library. 

Tell us a little about your background and how you ended up where you are now:

I grew up in Manila, after moving from the US when I was little, and eventually went to school in Ateneo. I thought corporate was the way to go with my business degree but I quickly exited that life. I took fashion-related jobs afterwards — styling, blogging, working at e-commerce sites. I even did social media for a fashion school for a few years. None of them felt right.

I’ve always wanted to write and tell stories and, somehow, my paths led to a travel magazine editing job, which I loved. Then I went back to the US for school and took my master’s degree in journalism at Columbia. That opened up a host of opportunities in New York including working as an updates editor at Brides Magazine for a year and landing my current job as an entertainment writer at Bustle! 

It’s always fun to know what journalist are reading—got any interesting books on your nightstand right now? 

The physical books on my nightstand are The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong, and The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper. I’m currently working on an audiobook though: Madeline Miller’s Circe. 

How do you take care of yourself and stay motivated when things get stressful?

I find crying to be cathartic. Therapy is also great if you can find a good fit. But I mostly just indulge — I rewatch Gilmore Girls or Charmed, order whatever food I like, play BTS on loop, and cuddle with my dogs.  

Where do you turn when you need some fresh inspiration?

Fashion-wise, Pinterest and Instagram are great. Life-wise, I talk to my girlfriends. They’re brilliant, kind humans who always help me recalibrate whenever I’m feeling stuck. Also, random conversations, though I don’t have a lot of those these days, jumpstart the cogs in my brain, so those are fun too. 

Do you have any advice for other creative people who are just figuring things out and trying to find their own path?

I do think there’s a certain amount of privilege in the ability to freely pursue creative endeavors. With that said, if you can, go for whatever it is you want. I think projects/roles are like a buffet and you have to try a solid number of dishes before landing on what you’d want to keep doing more of (or eating, if we’re keeping the metaphor). So don’t feel too pressured to land a job you think you’ll need to keep for the next five decades. And the moment you decide you no longer want to continue, pivot. I highly encourage reinvention. 

Finally, someone you admire that you’d like to shout out here?

To everyone working tirelessly for Asian representation, I see you. Especially to all the women of color who ensure that others get a seat at the table, thank you! Also my girlfriends because they’re awesome and I love them. 

Favorite Mantou Piece:

The Chelsea High Rise jeans in black!

Certified Alyssa Favorite Jeans: 

Photo by: @martsromero