Words by: Edie Hopgood
Photography and Modelling by: Jacquelyn Affidon & Eleanor Truong

At one point or another, we have all looked at influencers and content creators in envy.

Idealising what seems like a glamorous life full of PR events, free gifts, and social media stardom. Despite this idealisation, and our insatiable desire to blow up online in this modern day, I have always wondered how realistic these goals are. Sure, it would be nice to be the next SophaDophaa or to have your whole wardrobe and skincare routine posted to you free of charge—but how attainable is that, really?

From a pandemic to a cost-of-living crisis, we can all say we’ve felt a need to indulge ourselves more so recently—even if our purse strings haven’t allowed it. This poses new conflicts within the influencing and content creation realm, begging the question;

Are the products being promoted to us even attain- able anymore?

It can be quite paradoxical scrolling on TikTok. One minute you’re seeing someone discussing what they’ve had to cut back on during the cost of living crisis, and the next you’re seeing a huge influencer spending $300+ on a single shopping trip. Everyone is entitled to their own indulgences, but are things like insatiable hauls and product promotions moving closer and closer towards tone-deaf territory?

I spoke to some local micro-influencers and content creators to see how they feel about their roles amidst this economic climate. These interviewees are all mindful purchasers and promoters themselves, so I hoped to gain insight into the paradox they feel can be present in their work. I asked them about their decision-making process when setting standards for which job opportunities they take and which products they endorse, and what moral reasoning of sorts, an influencer endures on a day-to-day basis?

RUBY STALEY

Content Creator, Copywriter and Editorial writer. (She/They)

Ruby has worked for publications such as Fashion Journal, Refinery29, Pedestrian and TimeOut.

There is obviously a glamorousness in this industry, Ruby told me. Things such as elaborate dinners, brand trips, and ‘free’ products, that she describes and acknowledges as “incredible perks” that are often notoriously unique to this field.

Ruby reminds me, though, that at the end of the day, nothing is free, and with what may seem like many privileges, there is almost always compensation on her end, whether it be through promotion or other work. She notes that she has never considered this as a full-time career, namely because, despite what people may think, there is definitely an unglamorous, mundane, and even lonely side to influencing.

Ruby is no different to the rest of us 20-somethings. She is dealing with increased rent, food costs and utilities during the progression of this seemingly insurmountable cost of living crisis—which has actually pushed her to pick up extra freelance work.

R: “I’m lucky in the sense that I don’t rely on content creation to live, because during this time, it could possibly prove more difficult to make a regular in- come—brands have less money and so do consumers.”

Ruby states, however, that she never wants to make her followers believe that they need to spend money on anything that she promotes, or to be a part of the content creation ‘scene’.

R: “Especially with fashion, it’s about showing people different ways to express themselves and inviting them to jump on board. Because I don’t rely on my content creation work for my livelihood, I’m privileged in that I’m not needed to sell a certain number of products or make a commission, so I can take a more organic and less sales approach to creation.”

MAGGIE ZHOU

Content Creator, Branded Content and Features Editor, Podcaster.(She/Her)

Having been a content creator for ten years now, Maggie has always hoped to categorise herself as a “relatable everyday persona.” She joined Instagram at 13 years old, and like all of her friends at the time, began posting little squares of her life. At the age of 14, Maggie started her own BlogSpot to which she posted regularly from 2015-2018, and began regular posting on Instagram from 2019-2020.

Maggie prides herself on remaining true to her values and beliefs and “how this translates into actions.” As someone who has a passion for slow fashion, she cat- egorises herself as sustainable but makes no claims of perfection. This sustainable mindset extends to

the brand deals she accepts, as she only works with those that she uses in her everyday life.

Her approach extends to the consciousness of special perks, such as being gifted items. In an effort to not want to seem “flashy” or like she “receives things in excess,” Maggie strives to be respectful of others’ current circumstances as “it’s a really tough time for a lot of people.”

M: “It’s something that is on [my] mind when [I am] accepting the brand deals—I wouldn’t accept some- thing that I felt was quite not reading the room at the moment.”

M: “In general, I would say that I’m very lucky and
a lot of what my role consists of—in both the social media realm as well as working in a fashion publi- cation—is quite glamorous. I think sometimes most people’s answers to questions like this are ‘No it is a lot of hard work, it’s not always fun and parties and stuff’ which is completely true, but if I’m going to be honest and branch out from that… It’s quite wild to think that sometimes we are able to get free items or free dinners… It is glamorous and I think we shouldn’t become so normalised and desensitised [to that].”

Maggie feels fortunate that she has both her full- time job and her freelance/social media work. Being on the flip side of the screen, she has noticed that brands are tightening their budgets, but she doesn’t feel that this impacts her much, as her goal would “never be for someone to buy things, so [she doesn’t] measure in that metric.”

LUCINDA MCGARRITY

Influencer, Full-time Student and Worker. (she/her)

Lucinda says that her line of work came about “purely by accident” and that she has always enjoyed posting but only ever in a “silly way”—it was nothing that she ever took too seriously. Lucinda does not fit any partic- ular niche category, allowing her to be approached by various brands and not be pigeonholed. Despite this, she holds herself accountable to the kind of brands that she works with, by having a list that she keeps track of.

L: “I am really protective of my engagement; I don’t want to lose it or that trust.”

She acknowledges that people often read the word ‘influencer’ as being ‘out of touch’ at times. Lucinda agrees that there are amazing perks to working in this industry, but they are in no way enough to allow or justify her pursuing it full-time. As for PR events, Lucinda says meeting other people is the best part, but that can be outweighed by the deadlines, crazy briefs, quick turnarounds, and mountains of emails. Admin is still rampant in this industry.

Despite being someone who is lucky enough to live at home during this time, Lucinda has still felt the impacts of this cost of living crisis in various ways. She also ac- knowledges that people all have different strains at this time and everyone has their own set of priorities

as well.

Lucinda notes that if she doesn’t like a brand’s product, she will never accept an invitation to work with them. During this cost of living crisis, this is something she is particularly conscious of, as she doesn’t want to misrep- resent herself to her followers.

L: “I might be getting sent some clothing but I’m not getting sent five outfits every single day. I’m not the
hot IT fashion girl, but once you establish a community that’s where it can become an unsustainable marketing tactic.”

L: “I would never want someone dropping thousands of dollars on outfits I was being sent that I didn’t like myself.”

Lucinda herself said she has felt pressured in the past to keep up with new trending pieces, and that she particularly went through a phase of buying excessive amounts of new and expensive dresses she simply couldn’t afford. This reflection allows her to remain mindful of the content that she produces, now that she has a platform that provides her with influence and reach.

L: “I never want to get to the stage where I have more things than I know what to do with. Nobody needs that and why would I deserve this when somebody else might be going without—especially in a field where you’re trying to be relatable?”