Life is full of ups and downs for all of us, yet when it comes to hitting the “share” button on social media, we usually only share the good parts – especially given the modern social pressure to compare ourselves to others on our feeds and the editing tools and filters at our fingertips.
TikTok star Miranda Rae is trying to break this mold by encouraging authenticity and vulnerability online through her candid videos that document her life, from her ever-changing hairstyle to opening up about her experiences with mental health and eating disorders.
When it comes to mental health, a survey by think tank Resolution Foundation found that one in three people reported symptoms that suggest they had experienced common mental health issues such as anxiety or depression, while a survey in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics found that 22% reported having an eating disorder in their child or adolescent, making the discussion around these issues even more important.
With over eight million followers on social media, it’s clear that Miranda’s candid content has struck a chord with audiences online. The 22-year-old spoke to Indy100 about her growing fame and the importance of using her platform for good.
What first inspired you to post online and how did you build your platform?
“I first started posting YouTube videos when I was in high school, I think it was my junior year. I was going through a tough time, so I started watching that era of ‘Sister Squad’ – Emma Chamberlain, the Dolan sisters, James Charles. I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is so fun. I want to do this.'”
“At first, I was going through a tough time. So watching these videos made me feel so much better. And I thought, ‘Oh, I want to make videos that help people and make them feel better,’ just like what these people did for me. So that’s why I started in the first place.”
The creator recalled that he would “regularly” post on YouTube and get 100 views: “No one was actually watching my videos, but it was still a lot of fun making these silly videos to show to my 20 subscribers.”
Since then, you’ve gained a large following on platforms like TikTok, but has there been any video that has gone viral in particular?
“So initially, I started making comedy videos on TikTok, but nothing really came of it, so I was like, ‘Okay, something’s not right, because these people either don’t know what comedy is because I think they’re funny, or I’m delusional and I’m not actually funny.’
Miranda added that he needed to “change things up” and do something different, and that his dance to Doja Cat’s hit “Say So” had just gone viral.
So while Miranda wanted to join the trend, she admitted that she’s a “terrible dancer,” elaborating that “if I just posted a video of me doing the ‘Say So’ dance, it would fail because I’m a terrible dancer.”
Miranda Or
dc : @bruh.liv19 @d0rasm0ther ✨#foryou #ThisorThatSBLV
During this time, she happened to come across some helpful advice on the TV show “Glee” (which Miranda was “obsessed with”) to “use your hair to cover up your bad dance moves,” and after people complimented her on the blue stripes in her hair, Miranda decided that “hair dancing” was her thing.
“I just slow down the video and swing my hair around while I’m dancing, so that people’s attention is focused on my gorgeous hair and not on my awful dance moves,” she explained.
“That video was my first video that really, really went viral, and I was known for years as what they call the ‘slow-motion girl’. That’s what I did: dancing, shaking my hair, doing it in slow motion, changing my hair color.”
You change your hair color all the time. What’s your favorite color so far?
“For some reason, I always come back to blue and pink because I think it suits my skin tone the best. Plus, I’ve realized I can wear any color of clothing. I’m not limited by color, style or aesthetic,” she said, noting that colorful hair can sometimes be challenging as it can clash with outfits.
“My favorite hair color from any particular time period is the pink balayage that I did in February. It felt so cool. I got so many compliments. People look at me and pay attention to my hair.”
But what color will Miranda dye her hair next?
“I’m going to dye my hair all pink. I’ve never dyed it a single colour before because I just couldn’t make up my mind,” she revealed.
Have you ever received hair color requests from your followers?
“I think my natural age was inspired by my followers, because they were like, ‘Miranda, come on, ditch the hair color and try a hairstyle that makes you look a little older,’ because I always have a hard time looking 14,” Miranda joked.
You’ve been quite honest online about your mental health and your journey with eating disorders in the past, but what prompted you to open up to your audience about this aspect of your life?
Miranda was influenced by the creatives she watched growing up, including Emma Chamberlain and the Dolan sisters, as mentioned above.
“They were always very open about what they were going through, which made me feel much closer to them and less alone,” she said of them.
Miranda Or
I want to hug everyone and tell them it’s okay
“So I’ve always told myself… It’s my goal to be open about what I’m going through because I’ve struggled with mental health my whole life growing up.”
“Keeping quiet about it was not a good idea. I thought that by opening up and sharing my struggles maybe it could help someone else the way Emma Chamberlain helped me. That’s what made me want to speak openly about it.”
What has the reaction been like from your followers?
“The response has been amazing,” Miranda said. “I’ve had direct messages from people saying that my support has made them feel less alone.”
The influencer then recalled a touching incident where she met one of her fans in person, saying, “I was at a concert one time and a fan wrote me a letter, and I cried when I read it, and it basically said that I’d really helped her recover from her eating disorder.”
“That was always my main goal when making videos and everything else, so I’m really, really happy that I was able to achieve that.”
As a content creator with a large platform, how do you look after your mental health?
“I think it’s important to recognise when you need a break. I don’t like taking too long breaks, but if I really need it, I’ll take some time off from the internet, my phone and filming to work on myself.”
She continued, “There are benefits to being open, but I think it can be counterproductive if you’re not in a good enough state to do it. So I think it’s important for my mental health to take time off when I need to and come back in better shape.”
What advice would you give to your younger self?
“One thing I would tell my younger self is that when you’re young, everything feels forever. You get bullied at school and you feel like the world is ending, or you take a test that’s so hard you feel like you’re going to fail it. It feels forever, but in a month, you won’t even remember it.”
“So what I would really tell my younger self is to not dwell too much on what’s going on, because things are going to get better,” Miranda concluded.
What are your hopes for the future?
Now, Miranda aims to “grow as much as possible.”
“I just go with the flow,” she explained. “I love how people have welcomed me so warmly, it’s been amazing. I think the most important thing is to continue to inspire people with my videos and build an intimate bond with my viewers and followers.”
“My main goal is to keep doing that.”
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