Clinton talks about being 'walled off' to 'Humans of New York'

Hillary Clinton is addressing criticism that, at times, she seems "walled off," telling the "Humans of New York" blog that her demeanor could be a result of being forced "to learn as a young woman to control my emotions."

"Humans of New York" is a photography project that takes pictures of (usually) average New Yorkers and includes stories of their lives.

On Thursday, the founder of the blog released a portrait of Clinton, which included the Democratic presidential nominee recounting a moment in college when she faced hostile comments from male counterparts as she prepared to take a law school admission test and how she reacted.

"I had to learn as a young woman to control my emotions. And that’s a hard path to walk. Because you need to protect yourself, you need to keep steady, but at the same time you don’t want to seem ‘walled off.’ And sometimes I think I come across more in the ‘walled off’ arena. And if I create that perception, then I take responsibility. 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.”

The piece was published the day after Clinton was criticized by Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus for not smiling during the NBC Commander in Chief Forum.

Clinton shot back on Twitter and on Thursday she dismissed the comment when speaking to reporters.

“I don't take (RNC) advice and I don't take anything seriously that comes from the RNC,” she said.

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Her allies have said that Priebus’ comment is an example of the double standard held for women.

EMILY’s List, a super PAC focused on getting women who support abortion rights elected that backs Clinton, blasted Priebus' remark.

“Talk less, smile more. Yes, that was the gist of Reince Priebus’s critique of Hillary Clinton’s performance in last night’s national security forum,” EMILY’s List spokeswoman Alexandra De Luca said in a statement. “Women are justifiably upset. First Trump said that Hillary Clinton doesn’t look 'presidential' (because she’s a woman, Donald?), and then the RNC Chair criticized her for taking a discussion of our national security seriously.”

Meanwhile, Twitter erupted with comments using the hashtag #smile4reince.