CONTENT CREATOR MIRANDA RAE TALKS MENTAL HEALTH AND BUILDING A FOLLOWING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Rather it be TikTok, YouTube or Instagram most of us are chronically online keeping up with our favorite content creators and influencers 24/7. But for the people behind the camera like Miranda Rae, it can be a balancing act constantly creating engaging content and protecting your peace while doing it. We sat down with Miranda to talk beauty, mental health and everything in between!
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
Talk to us about how you are dealing with your mental health and being a content creator.
Managing your mental health can be difficult as a content creator, because some days I feel down or insecure just like anyone else, but it’s my job to put myself on camera for the whole world to see. I always want to be my truest self, but I also want to be uplifting to my fans and my audience.
At the same time, it’s important for myself and other creators to be open about what we’re going through so that people watching know they shouldn’t feel any shame for having normal emotions. It’s important to take breaks when needed, and I always like to dye my hair or switch up my look for a little serotonin boost.
What is your beauty philosophy?
My hair color will always dictate my overall look and beauty philosophy at that time. If I have more natural hair, then I’ll go for a more natural makeup look to match. If I have colorful hair, the makeup look will be maximalist to match. However, overall I LOVE to use glitter and aim to look a little bit sparkly and glowy.
Doing my makeup and hair is a creative outlet for me, it’s one of the primary ways I express how I’m feeling. If I’m having a bad day, I’ll always end up glamming myself up as a bit of a distraction – I can focus on making myself feel pretty or really focus on self care through skincare, washing my hair, etc. I’ll ALWAYS feel better after.
What is your beauty routine?
My routine looks different every time, but there are some consistent habits! My makeup must is glitter on the eyes (K-Beauty products are my favorite for this), specifically liquid glitter eyeliner underneath my brow bridge. Another favorite product is the Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner. I’ll also usually add freckles since after I do my makeup sometimes I feel the look is too glam and the freckles give it a more natural feel. I definitely use a lot of blush.
Oh – and I’m a hair, makeup, outfit girl! If I have colorful hair then my hair is going to be curly, but if I have more natural hair I’ll go for more of a blowout look.
I have dry skin so I’m always applying oil – like Gisou’s face oil. Under eye patches are HUGE for me – I’ll have them on when I do my hair so when it’s time to do my makeup, my eyes are hydrated!
What advice would you give your 15 year old self?
Everything can feel so permanent when you’re younger, because you just haven’t experienced much else. I would tell my 15 year-old self to trust the process, give everything some time, and know that everything will work out. You’ll be thriving when you get older!
How has your creativity helped your growth via social media?
I love being creative on social media. I like to take inspiration from trends, but not do them spot on. A lot of my early viral videos that helped my initial growth on social media were these slow motion hair flip videos. I first started doing them because I wanted to do the “Say So” dance, but I’m not a good dancer.
I remembered an episode of Glee about “hairography” and how it can be used as part of your performance, and I thought putting focus on my hair could distract from my bad dance moves! That’s what led to the slow-mo hair videos, which nobody was doing at the time and really gave me my first audience.
How are you disrupting the TikTok landscape?
My content style is very loud and personal, I’m not trying to make quick/short/trendy content. I choose to be very open with my audience because they’re my best friends and I can tell them anything, even though I don’t really know who’s on the other side! I grew up watching and idolizing YouTubers who were definitely a bit over the top, and I could relate to that. I wanted to bring that style to short form platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
What are you currently working on?
Along with consistently putting out short form content on my TikTok and Instagram, I’m really focusing on making longer videos and growing my YouTube channel! I just hit 200,000 subscribers which is super exciting for me, because being a “YouTuber” was my dream growing up.
I first started posting YouTube videos when I was in high school, and got interviewed by my school paper for being the “YouTuber” even though I only had 100 subscribers. For a while I was just focusing on TikTok and Instagram since that’s where I really had an audience, but I’m back!
What is your biggest goal to accomplish this year and how far are you from it?
I’ve wanted to release a collaboration with one of my DREAM brands for literally years now, and I think it’s finally happening this year! Apart from that, I want to continue making content that makes people feel happy and less alone, while encouraging them to take care of themselves and others!
TEAM CREDITS:
Interview By Editor in Chief: Prince Chenoa (@princechenoastudio)
Feature Editor: Taylor Winter Wilson (@taylorwinter)
Photographer: Lena Melnik (@lenamelnik)
Wardrobe Stylist: Anna Katsanis (@annakatsanis)
Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist: Bri Stine (@bristinemakeup)
