How To Be Your Most Authentic Self: From Someone Who Definitely Knows (A 22-Year Old Influencer)

As a woman, yoga influencer, and a Leo (rising), I have collected a very specific and finite bundle of opinions I feel the world needs to hear. I live on Instagram, which I am sure you’ve gathered from my highly curated daily yoga posts that make you wonder “Who actually takes all these photos?” and “How does she make money?” But in addition to being very seen, I see a lot of things, and I feel it’s important to speak to them. Here are some ways that you, too, can speak your truth, from me, someone who only uses FaceTune when absolutely necessary.

Share Your Pain

You might think that your followers will be uncomfortable with any cracks in your carefully constructed facade. Some even say that your followers “live vicariously through you.” But you’re a human being, albeit one who is constantly surrounded by soft purple light, and people actually love human beings even more than one-dimensional cartoon characters. So show them you’re real! Not in a normal way, like crying alone in your room and not posting for a while. Show them with a post with a cryptic caption like “healing” or “when people show you who they are, believe them.” It’ll let your followers know something is going on but not give them enough information to actually connect with you. Always keep them at arm’s length, or they might see the wrong flaws. Don’t worry, the dude you’re aiming that post at definitely saw it. He still doesn’t get it, because his inability to pick up on emotional cues is the reason you broke up, but the point is that you spoke your truth.

Story Everything

You should upload everything you do to your Insta-stories. Your coffee, your outfit, the palm trees, your thoughts on rude parking attendants while you walk to your car, everything. The more of yourself you put out there, the better your followers can get to know the authentic you. If you’re saying to yourself “Alexis, I am not a cam girl, my life is boring, nobody wants to see me singing in my car,” you’re wrong! Your life is interesting and fun! Even if it’s not, that’s more than okay – it’s authentic. Just don’t let it happen too often.

Show People You Love Yourself By Putting Your “Link in Bio”

No-brainer right? A link in a bio is like your Internet birth certificate. It shows the world you not only have a website, you have a purpose, and that purpose is driving traffic to your website. It’s a page all about you and what you’ve been up to, in case those four pictures of your salad were unclear. Sliding a “link in bio” at the end of a caption is kind of like showing off your ankle tattoo at a party: Everyone remembers you have it, but it’s good to continually remind people just to make sure.

So there you have it, a guide to living your most authentic life while maintaining the ideal follower-to-following ratio online. Don’t forget to tag a friend in this post or use code LifeIsSuffering for 15% off FitTEA. Just be aware it only works because it gives you crazy diarrhea. Even sponsored content can be authentic, y’all.