content has become monolithic and I'm tired.

Where are the personality hires in content these days? Colorful personalities are missing in content, and I’m tired.

Social media was in a recent uproar when the Sephora Squad went live, and the influencers chosen were all similar in content style and had high visibility. If you’re not hip to the conversation, basically, some people were upset that certain creators chosen for this opportunity already have visibility, brand deals, money, and even management. The Sephora Squad is a yearlong, paid partnership where they get selected to work with Sephora on various campaigns and marketing initiatives, build community, and give influencers a larger platform.

Even though some people were mad at it, does that mean those influencers don’t deserve that opportunity? No…but I do think that all the think pieces are warranted. The girls swear they want authenticity and real life, but I feel like they don’t. If they did, the engagement would show it. In the content space, there seems to be room for only one type of girl who can make it, and it becomes daunting.

To give context, I started my content creation journey in 2014, sharing my freshman year experience at my HBCU. After a year of watching other pioneers in the YouTube beauty and lifestyle community, I found a void that needed filling: my time at Prairie View A&M University. I showed my day-to-day life by balancing having a 3.5 GPA, partying like crazy, interning, and traveling for any opportunity I could get in school. My engagement was so high because, back then, there were way more consumers than creators.

Ten years later, I feel like I’m still struggling to find my place on the internet. I haven’t been as consistent as I should be, but that doesn’t replace the feeling that no matter how hard I work, I will never see the success I want.

Looking at the landscape of content creation, my for you page is filled with those dark-vibe videos, $300+ hauls, Lululemon, and everything else dealing with clean-girl aesthetics. Everyone has moved to Atlanta or Texas, has white apartments and neutral-colored decor, and the girls wouldn’t be caught without OPI’s bubble bath. It seems like all the personalities are the same on the internet, and those are the ones that are winning.

@anaykasheWhat do you think? Maybe im in a vaccuum and thats just majority of what i see

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We all love the same “it girls” on YouTube and TikTok, and I, too, love them…but where is the room for the other girls? When I scroll through my social media, the best content I see is from girls under 10k and those who are not the “traditional” influencers. I enjoy people who are just living authentically and certified yappers.

First, there are more creators these days than consumers…that’s one thing. Second, no matter how much the girls say they want different content creators and authenticity, they don’t, and the numbers don’t reflect that. Selfishly, I think I should be way further than I am, but beyond that, I don’t see the girls who look like me or are comfortable with showing their true personalities get that type of exposure. I’m not sure if I’m getting older, but I want to watch people who are regularly doing regular things. Of course, I don’t mind watching black girl luxury from time to time, but it seems like everybody is “black girl luxury.” When you scroll, everybody has enough money to go to happy hour every other day, drive a luxury car, and live in a high-rise apartment. I’m more likely to scroll past content with that typical look, influencing me to spend money every day.

But it does seem like there’s only one type of black girl who can make it. It’s frustrating. The same girls with the same content and aesthetics are constantly getting all the opportunities. The lane is very monolithic, and if you are not within that bubble, you’re not on the fyp…you’re left stuck in the friends tab. I like to see day-to-day life. I want to see what the girls are finding, what makes them mad, and just all the things! I want all the girls with different interests to win.

This conversation is multi-layered and goes many different ways, but I’m saying, is there no space or opportunities for girls with range? Where are the girls who are not minimalistic? Girls with long nails and go to Aldi on Sunday and not Trader Joe’s? Girls who curse a lot, have a personal style, and do not just wear what everybody else is wearing? Girls who have a regular 9-5 and use pay in 4 to get something they want because that’s just girl math? Where are the personalities and not the things!?

Content has become so artificial and superficial since big dollar signs have become attached to it. Everybody has become carbon copies of whoever they deem to be successful and follow their path, so they too can become a full-time content creator to dish out more LTK links onto the internet as if that’s more of what we need. In the midst of beige homes, pilates princesses, minimalistic aesthetics, and clean girl vibes, we’ve lost the plot of the internet being an outlet for creativity in exchange for making a living. Which sucks…but can I blame them? When the algorithm constantly pushes this type and shows you “what’s good,” do we really have a choice in the type of content we produce if we want to see success?

I stumbled on this video explaining a current lawsuit about this exact thing. Reporter Mia Santo says it’s not that these girls have no personality; it’s that when social media is your livelihood, it’s not profitable to be original. I don’t understand this because I feel like people across various interests can make the same type of profit.

@webkinzarchiveWhat a lawsuit between two influencers tells us about our algorithm-induced capitalism.

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I know I probably sound like an old hag, that millennial who’s always talking about how, back in my day, people had to actually be creative to have a place on the internet. Editing, filming, and creating took so much time and effort—way longer than CapCut preset editing templates and under 90-second videos. Does that make me a hater because I feel like I put in the 10,000 hours and still am not where I thought I would be?

At the end of the day, I’ve planned and strategized so much over the years about what I thought I should do to get further ahead. I’ve become overwhelmed with it, and it has paralyzed my process. I made the conscious decision a while ago that this is my form of art and expression, and I will go for it. I told myself I wanted to create more than I scroll and do more than I think. My goal was never to become an “influencer” and push links to make people spend money. It’s always been to show what is important to me and to make people find that thing in them that makes them feel that sparkle.

So, even though I feel like I’m constantly fighting my perfectionism, I will continue to try to keep my mission at the forefront.