This Gen-Z influencer is one of the established and breakout names informing beauty and, more importantly, culture today. More from the series →
Loren Gray is unusual when it comes to emerging TikTok content creators because she has been on the platform for years — she joined its predecessor Musical.ly in 2015. The 18-year-old has since ascended to become one of TikTok’s biggest stars, with nearly 52 million followers. Gray has worked with brands like Revlon and Clarins, and often shares videos of her own glam-up beauty routines alongside lip sync videos. Gray, who was bullied when she was younger, refers to her fans as “Angels.” She is currently attending college and studying business, while also juggling content creation and her jewelry brand &Always, and filming an upcoming reality series for Snapchat. She was previously signed with Virgin Records and Capitol Records until February, but is now working as an independent musical artist.
How has your relationship with beauty evolved since you first joined TikTok?
“When I was younger I always relied on other people or things for validation, especially when it came to how I looked. For a while, I was extremely insecure and even now, I still have those days. I’ve learned to love what and who I see when I look in the mirror. I try to teach other people to do the same. It’s not always easy, but we are all beautiful in our own way and need to remember that.”
How do you feel about being so vulnerable on social media?
“I’ve always been extremely open and vulnerable with my fans since I’ve built real, personal relationships with so many of them. I help them with their personal struggles and they help me with mine. I love that part of social media and being able to connect with them in that way, but I do always have to remind myself that sometimes I need to draw a line and protect myself. All I want to do is connect to and help others, so if being open and vulnerable about my own struggles does that, then I will definitely continue to do so.”
How do you approach your social media presence on other platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Triller?
“Whenever I give advice to others on best practices on any platform, I always use the word ‘organic.’ The content you produce has to feel organic to your brand and to who you are, or it simply won’t connect with your audience. Also, as you post for a long period of time, you learn to pick up on what your fans enjoy and what they don’t. It’s important to keep all of that in mind when making new content. Most importantly, though, social media should be fun, and if you’re not having fun with it, your followers will know and it won’t work.”
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