Just a Reminder: Influencer Life Isn’t Real Life (and You’re Doing Just Fine)

There’s this quiet kind of panic that creeps in during your mid-twenties. It doesn’t announce itself — it just slowly starts to feel like everyone else is doing something you missed the memo on.

The group trips. The perfect skin. The matching glassware. The 6 a.m. pilates and green juice and magically stain-free white couches.

And it’s easy to feel like maybe you’re doing something wrong. Like your life should look shinier, smoother, louder.

But before you spiral — here’s your very gentle, very real reminder: Influencer life is not real life.

The Myth of the Curated Life

Most of what you see online is styled, filtered, edited, or straight-up sponsored. It’s not a conspiracy — it’s just... a highlight reel. No one’s filming the meltdown because their oat milk curdled or the fifth consecutive day of eating toast for dinner. (Well, some people are. But even that’s got good lighting.)

It’s okay if your life isn’t an aesthetic. It’s okay if your mornings start with frantic snoozing and the existential dread of checking your bank account. You're not behind. You're not failing. You're just living outside the algorithm — which is kind of beautiful, honestly.

Let’s De-Influence a Bit, Shall We?

Here are a few completely normal, wildly underrated things that don’t get enough love online:

Your Space Doesn’t Have to Be Pristine

Your home isn’t a showroom. You live there. Things will be messy. The floor will have crumbs. Your laundry will taunt you from the chair you swore wasn’t going to become that chair.That doesn’t make you lazy or disorganized — it makes you a person.

Life isn’t a flatlay. Let it be a little lived-in.

You Don’t Need a 12-Step Routine or $90 Foundation

Somehow, existing now requires an entire skincare wardrobe, a candle aesthetic, and an eye cream made from the tears of an angel. But truly? You’re not doing it wrong if your routine is a splash of cold water and a moisturiser you bought on sale. You don’t need luxury products to be lovable. You don’t need “girl math” to justify not being able to afford them. You’re enough with or without a Sephora VIB status.

You Don’t Need a Giant Friend Group

The internet makes it seem like every twenty-something has a rotating group of friends they vacation with, brunch with, and cry on rooftops with. In reality? A lot of people are lonely. A lot of people are still trying to find their people. Having one or two solid friends is not just enough — it’s beautiful. You don’t need a crowd to be seen. You just need a few people who make you feel safe in your weirdness.

You’re Allowed to Stay In

It’s normal if you’re not going out every weekend. It’s normal if you don’t want to. Some weekends are for dancing until 2 a.m.Some are for crying in the bath to a Phoebe Bridgers song. And some are for eating cereal out of the box while rewatching a comfort show in your oldest hoodie. All of them are valid.

You Don’t Have to Monetise Every Hobby

You’re allowed to paint badly. Bake things that collapse. Write weird poetry. Learn guitar and quit two weeks later. You don’t need to be a content creator to create. You don’t need an Etsy shop or a side hustle. Joy for the sake of joy is enough. You are allowed to just... enjoy things without a personal brand attached to them.

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The Soft, Slightly Messy Truth

Being in your twenties is weird. You’re constantly torn between wanting to reinvent your entire life and also just wanting a nap. You’re watching people get married and buy houses while you’re googling "how to cook rice without burning it again,” or maybe that’s just me.

And yet — in the midst of the mess and the comparison and the quiet pressure to always be doing more — there is still something tender and magic about it.

The mid-twenties are awkward and humbling and often deeply un-Instagrammable. But they’re also yours. Your pace. Your path. Your version of becoming.

So if your life isn’t aesthetic right now — that’s okay.

If your version of self-care is crying on the floor with a snack, or watching comfort YouTubers instead of journaling with fancy pens — that’s okay too.

You’re not falling behind. You’re just building something real — quietly, gently, in your own time.

And honestly? That’s way more impressive than a matching coffee table set.