Humans have been building their personal brand to improve their social and work life for generations now. It is how they modify other people’s perception of them. Personal brand more or less includes your likes, dislikes, your personality, your beliefs and virtues and basically reflects who you are to the world. Some have the ability to evolve and metamorphose their personal brand into what they want people to perceive them as. But the important thing to note is that it was nothing a common man could make money off.
Personal brand used to be a source of money exclusively for public figures and celebrities who would consciously make choices to not be perceived in the wrong light. However, the influencer generation is now showing us that personal brand is no longer a selling point just for celebrities and that money can be made by ANYONE who knows how to sell their personal brand well.
It is kind of refreshing to take away the exclusivity or monopoly from celebrities and public figures of selling personal brand as a business, but it comes at a cost. A cost far greater than the money made. The thing is, no one is selling their authentic self because your personal brand is yours to modify and sell with no audit controls. So, for the lack of a better word, you could be making money by “lying”.
The aim of this newsletter is not to be critical toward the lifestyle influencer community, but it is to provoke thoughts so that we can at least audit them on a personal level.
Unachievable lifestyle, fashion and beauty standards have been glorified by public figures for decades. But that never affected the mental health of the common people because that lifestyle was something they idolized and not envied.
It is a whole different ball game when the same lifestyle is projected by your friend who you used to know from college way back when. Then, that becomes an issue of mental health. But is that person telling the truth? That is when the personal audit comes into play.
When talking about a generation almost engulfed by the influencer revolution, it is hard not to talk about mental health. When business becomes personal and basically runs on validation from others (followers), the day that validation is not positive is a doomsday for your self-worth and confidence.
Many go into the business attracted by the glitz and the glamour and some thinking it is some get rich quick scheme which works as long as you follow the trends, not realizing that all of this comes at a cost.
The question we need to ask ourselves is, are we ready to be a part of this virtual almost unauthentic and fantasized world that only resides in the device in your hand?
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