Eew don’t call me an “influencer” | Day 6 of 90

Yesterday I got a call from BuzzFeed asking to be interviewed about my 90 Day Journey. It’s truly amazing how “controversial”, “shocking”, and apparently newsworthy me wanting to lose some pounds and shed some fat is. Quite frankly, I was a bit hesitant to take the call. I wasn’t sure how they were going to twist my story and possibly turn it into me being some sort of anti-body positivity extremist or something…

So…

I took the interview anyway.

Why?

The 90 day journey is about me doing things that make me scared and uncomfortable – especially when it comes to other people’s judgments of me. This journey is not only supposed to help me shed fat…it’s also to help me shed fear.

So, I took the call, and now – not only is there a BuzzFeed article…

…there’s a DailyMail one too.

I’ve read both articles and am proud of myself for not crying or backtracking. Both make the whole 90 day thing sound really dramatic but the truth is, the majority of you guys are in support of my journey. And those that weren’t already left. I know this because I saw a decrease in followers the day I posted my before pic on IG. But I am glad it’s sparking a good discussion around very taboo topic.

You know, it’s interesting being an internet celebrity…you become someone who people want to talk about…someone who gets dissected apart by strangers…someone who is judged constantly for everything you do, everything you say, everything you don’t do, and everything you don’t say. I guess that is what comes with the role of being a public figure.

I had ZERO intention of becoming an internet celebrity when I posted my first YouTube video in 2009, but now that “star” power is kind of all that defines me when any media outlet describes me. It is weird being what they call…an…”influencer.”

Eew.

I shudder at that word!

It is such a soulless term that the advertising and media industries created to describe internet celebrities who could push product. No longer defined by our expertise or our profession but by the number of followers we have and our ability to persuade people to buy things, the term leaves such a bad taste in my mouth. When I hear “influencer” I immediately think – pretty girl with perfect skin posing with a product she doesn’t even use looking at the camera with her mouth half open. Caption usually includes a discount code.

To understand why this term bothers me so much, let’s dive into it’s core definition.

According to Google, to be an “influencer” is to be someone who has the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something, or the effect itself.

Umm so basically, if all you call me is an “influencer”, you’re saying that my entire mission in life and my entire career boils down to me being able to persuade people to act how I want them to act – no matter what my background is, what my education is, what my profession is, what my beliefs are, or what my expertise is. This pretty much means my core mission as an “influencer” is to make people buy things…That means my worth is equal to the amount of products people end up purchasing. And if I can’t make em purchase anything, then it means I no longer have influence, which means I am no longer, by definition, an influencer, which ultimately means I can no longer get paid to pose soullessly with products that I don’t even use :)

That’s why I hate it when brands, ad agencies, and media outlets call me an “influencer”!!! AGGHHHHHHHHHH.

I am a CEO. An Entrepreneur. A Creator. A Founder. A Pilates Instructor. A Fashion Designer. A Fitness Blogger. I am not a soulless product pusher! Nor would I ever take a deal just to make money and risk my relationship with you guys. You’re my friend. And that means I would never do anything to exploit our friendship because I genuinely care about about our future together! Like – do you guys think YouTube will still be around when we’re 80? Will we be doing senior citizen fitness together??? Cuz that is what I am hoping for :)

To be clear, there is absolutely no hate for my peers who make a living on social media. I think it is amazing that our generation can make a decent (and sometimes way more than decent) income by doing what they love on the internet instead of being chained to our parents’ generation of corporate ladder climbing. But for ad agencies and media outlets to boil our identities down to “influencers” – it makes me feel like my expertise and profession aren’t as important as my effectiveness on a billboard.

If you’re an “influencer” or thinking of becoming one, just remember this: ask yourself what VALUE you want to bring to your audience. What would they call you if they couldn’t call you an “influencer”? Is the value you bring to the table the value of entertainment? Education? Tools for something?

Don’t become an influencer to just to influence. Don’t become famous just to be famous. Don’t make money just to make money. Have a mission and have a vision that allows your hard work to create real impact on people – hopefully positive. That will always guide you in the right direction when it comes to choosing your next step…or choosing your next brand deal.

Ha, you know what’s gonna be weird?

I know Sam will get some emails from brands tomorrow, and knowing that most of them will probably not have read this article, they will most likely still refer to me as influencer. What do you think, should I link this article in my signature and kindly suggest they read it OR ELSE?? Hahahaha.

ANYWAY!!!! Enough about influencers.

DAY 5 RECAP

I am really happy that I’ve been getting to color in that happy face circle recently in my Fit Journal. This whole 90 day journey has me feeling pumped and excited! I hope this feeling stays around for the entire 12 weeks. If it doesn’t, I’ll just need to switch up my workouts and my food! We shall see. I am keeping a close eye on my feelings daily.

Yesterday I went to take a workout class with Brittney and Laurel from the Blogifam! We all love ClassPass so we are trying to take a new workout class together every week. I’m so happy when we get to work out together. Brittney is our graphic design extraordinaire and Laurel is our social media queen! (But don’t worry I still run the Blogilates related stuff, so if you get a comment from me, it is actually me :))

We took a HIIT class nearby and it was SO HARD!!!! My heart rate got up to 173 BPM (thanks Apple Watch, obsessed with looking at you while I am dying) and I was sweating for reals! Brittney and Laurel said it was hard but not that hard, but I thought it was REALLY HARD. It was 2 min on and 25 sec off. But like, 2 min on!!??? I felt like I couldn’t go that hard because I was conserving my energy so I wouldn’t stop! The instructor noticed that and came over to me and said…FASTER!!!! Hahahaha.

For lunch I had cauliflower rice with shawarma chicken, mushrooms, and match chile peppers. I made a large batch earlier in the week, so still going through it.

Had it with some butter lettuce on the side. Butter lettuce is seriously favorite. The Trader Joes ready to use version is my absolute fave. I get 4 bags every time I go to the store. They are $1.99 each.

Snacked on some more brie cheese and thai chili almonds for post lunch munchies. Anyone else get those? We have a micro kitchen with free snacks in the office and usually around 3pm I reach for chips or something, but I’ve been staying on track with my Lazy Keto because I come PREPARED!!!! That is the key people. Prepare yourself for any weaknesses and you will be ok when temptation strikes.

For dinner, we ordered in from a place that unfortunately wasn’t that good. My trout had tiny bones everywhere, and the “roasted veggies” I ordered on the side ended up being a bunch of potatoes. Luckily they gave us teeny sides of cucumbers, bell peppers, carrots, and baba ganoush (eggplant puree) which I just found out is totally keto friendly!!! I will def be making this soon. OMG I love eggplants sooooo much!!! I added in some butter lettuce for more veggie intake.

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