Growing up and becoming a well-rounded, confident, and self-assured person is never easy, but coming of age in the social media era where photo editing, filters, censorship, never-ending popularity competitions, and negative comments rule the roost makes a difficult time a whole lot harder. It’s why influencer Katie LaFrance has decided to swim against the tide and create a safe place and social community revolving around positivity and inspiration as opposed to judgment, sniping, and constant trolling.
“Moving from small-town Arkansas to the sprawl of Los Angeles made me feel like a fish out of water,” explained Katie LaFrance. “Social media escalated my issues. I began to feel extreme anxiety and felt like I was surrounded by an impossible ideal of perfection I could never quite live up to. I began to measure my self-worth through the number of likes or comments I received. I think, to a degree, everyone on social media does. And then one day, I finally said, ‘Enough is enough; I’m better than this.’”
As a former professional tennis player, popular influencer, and someone who is about to graduate from UCLA a year early with honors to begin an internship at Dillards Inc, on paper, Katie LaFrance doesn't strike you as someone who lacks confidence due to insecurity or anxiety. But as she explains, no one is immune to the pressures of social media.
“Our world has become obsessed with the concept of perfection, and nowhere is this more apparent than on social media,” explained Katie LaFrance. “It’s drilled into people from a young age that you always have to be smiling, be in a perfect relationship, have a perfect body, skin, hair, teeth, and all the rest of it. It’s not realistic, and it’s not healthy. I’m far from perfect, and I want my followers to know that. I am who I am, and they are who they are, and I want us to celebrate our differences instead of constantly attacking or ridiculing them. Social media should be about people connecting with one another on a deeper level, not a platform to ridicule, shame, and divide.”
Building an online community that inspires and empowers is a noble aim, but does Katie LaFrance believe it’s realistic? “Absolutely! Influencers have a great responsibility to show we’re no different from the people who follow us. I’ve been fortunate enough to have received some great guidance and help from influencers when I was growing up, and now I feel it’s my turn to pass the torch. Together we’re stronger.”
.jpeg)
