EXCERPT: INFLUENCE BY MARY KATE OLSEN AND ASHLEY OLSEN

Your celebrity addiction, read all about it.

Rajni Jacques did a great profile on Mary Kate and Ashley's new book, Influence, in the November issue of NYLON, but we know that's not enough.

That's why we've scanned 8 of its pages and included an excerpt from Mary Kate on her sister to feed your Olsen addiction.  Want more?  The book is finally on sale today.

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Whether she knows it or not, my sister has been my greatest teacher.  At a young age, we had very distinct personalities; like a teddy bear, she was quiet and affectionate, and loving—which are adjectives I wouldn’t necessarily use to describe myself at that age (feisty and stubborn would be more appropriate). 

But by merely observing her demeanor, she taught me another way of being: I learned how to be affectionate.  I learned how to compromise.  I learned that tough love is not the only option.  As one matures, personalities become more complex.  In Ashley’s case, she evolved into a woman with a strong work ethic (she works twelve-hour days or more) and determination (she was the one to convince our parents to buy us our first pair of heels—red one-inch platforms with cherries on them).  Her most dominant characteristic would be her natural business mentality (without a prior relationship, The Row)—and those are only minor examples.  Passionate and true to her convictions, Ashley is an admirable woman who lives her life with a great magnitude of integrity, loyalty, and love.  It’s been an honor to watch her grow and evolve on this twenty-two-year journey all the while fulfilling her roles of CEO, fashion designer, business partner, and sister. 

Possessed of a pure heart, unrelenting dedication, consistent drive, and endless innovation, Ashley Olsen is a person who has—and continues to influence me and the people in her life to do better, work harder, laugh more, live longer, be stronger, and know that anything is possible.
--MARY KATE OLSEN



This story was published on October 28, 2008.