If You're Anything Like Me: An Introduction

    If you're anything like me, you don't look like a social media influencer. You're rocking a T-shirt and jeans most days, with a (singular) dress in the closet for special occasions. Your socks match your mood more often than they match each other. Your hands haven't seen the inside of a nail salon in years and you dye your hair with something that will likely stain the tub when you rinse it out. Sure, you own eyeliner, but your attempts at the perfect "cat eye" winged eyeliner usually end up looking more like "raccoon who just lost a bar fight." 

    If you're anything like me, you don't act like a social media influencer. Your voice shakes when you tell a story and you forget your sentences before they've barely halfway left your lips. You don't have an online following... or a following in real life, for that matter. You're not graceful, delicate, or dainty; you open packages more like a bear tearing into a beehive than a QVC host. 

    If you're anything like me, you've probably scrolled past hundreds, if not thousands, of dreamers and schemers alike as they walk you through their morning routine or show off the newest product they can make commission from if you purchase. You've laughed, you've liked, you've rolled your eyes, but you've never known what it feels like to be on the other side of receiving the engagement. Don't get me wrong, you get likes and comments on your posts from close friends and family members, but never strangers fawning over your outfit or begging for tips on how to apply makeup to look like yours. 

    Now, type "How to become an influencer" into any search bar.

    Did you find ten easy steps to becoming the social media guru of everyone's dreams? Or perhaps get sidetracked scrolling through content inspiration videos on TikTok? No matter where you look for your answers, one claim seems to remain universal across platforms and among creators: 

    Even you can become an influencer.

    Yes, you. Even if you have no claim to fame. Even without thousands of followers. No marketing degree, no history in advertising; nothing but a cell phone camera and a dream. Sounds alluring, doesn't it? Maybe even...too good to be true?

    Did they account for the members of the disabled population who are unable to work and afford luxury products to feature? Those of us who struggle with depression so severe we forget what the sidewalk looks like because we haven't left the house in days, or anxiety so paralyzing we bite our tongues until they bleed? Did they forget about us...again?

    If you're anything like me, you're used to being forgotten in blanket statements. You're the reason they changed "one size fits all" to "one size fits most" and you never understood how you could feel like the outsider in a group of outsiders. If you're anything like me, you don't even like being yourself all that much; why would anyone else want to be like you too?

    If you're anything like me, this journey is for you.