Presidential Election

Hillary Clinton Gets Personal With 'Humans Of New York'

"I know that I can be perceived as aloof or cold or unemotional. But I had to learn as a young woman to control my emotions."

Hillary Clinton Gets Personal With 'Humans Of New York'
Getty Images / Mark Makela

Hillary Clinton has a likability problem, so she took an unconventional route to try to fix that — she spoke to Humans of New York

Humans of New York is a popular website that shares individual photos and stories from the everyday people who live in the Big Apple. Those personal anecdotes are shared with millions through its site and social media pages. 

SEE MORE: Hillary Clinton Released Her Income Tax Return; Now Where's Trump's?

Clinton's story recalls her law school admissions test. Being one of the few women sitting for the exam, Clinton says her fellow male test takers heckled her with comments like, "If you take my spot, I'll get drafted, and I'll go to Vietnam, and I'll die."

She said: "I know that I can be perceived as aloof or cold or unemotional. But I had to learn as a young woman to control my emotions. ... I don't view myself as cold or unemotional. And neither do my friends. And neither does my family. But if that sometimes is the perception I create, then I can't blame people for thinking that."

In the most recent Gallup poll, 58 percent of adults said they have an unfavorable view of the Democratic candidate. And RealClearPolitics' aggregate unfavorability rating for Clinton has ranged between 49 and 56 percent for the past year. 

Clinton's Republican opponent, Donald Trump, has even bigger issues, as his average unfavorability rating has ranged between 55 and 64 percent in the past year. That makes this general election unique as both major party candidates are widely disliked. 

SEE MORE: Trump And Clinton Are Both Disliked By At Least Half The Country

The Clinton campaign is seemingly aware of the issue. Speeches during the Democratic National Convention from Bill and Chelsea Clinton shared personal, heartfelt stories, and a series of videos on her campaign's YouTube site try to show Clinton in a more playful light. 

With previous efforts not making a dent in those poll numbers, Clinton took a new approach, with increased media availability and this new Humans of New York feature, to try to turn those numbers around.