Influencers as teens

If you’re like me, you’re probably juggling school, family, friendships, crushes (ugh), and maybe even posting content online—all while trying to figure out who you actually are. Some days I feel totally confident, and other days I want to crawl under my blanket and disappear. That’s normal. You’re allowed to feel all of it.

The pressure to be perfect is real. But here’s the thing: perfection is fake. Real is better. Being kind, being honest, and being you—even when you don’t feel 100%—is what actually matters. I’ve learned that the most powerful thing you can do as a teen is show up for yourself, even in the smallest ways.

So whether you’re thriving or barely surviving, just know that you’re not alone. I’m right there with you, figuring things out one awkward, emotional, beautiful day at a time.

Eleanor - Writer, Influencer

Being a teenage girl to begin with isn’t easy, but being one focused so deeply on written expression and the emotional depth required to write books is something else completely. I started writing books when I was a little girl, drafts on scruffy little pieces of paper stuffed in drawers from being as young as ten, and I think I’ve been fortunate enough not to lose myself in the process of growing up. I never outgrew my love for books, for words, and instead I fell in love with creating them on my own. 

That little pipe dream of being an author from being so young is what led me to create my TikTok platform (@writtenbyels) last August. When I first created the platform, my intention was to gather up some excitement, a support network so that the day I published by book it would have the best opportunity to flourish. What I did not expect, was an unbelievable amount of support from thousands and thousands of people, who pushed me out of my comfort zone to create content not only about my own book, but about others, about the writing experience, about the community we’ve built. I’ve been given a platform that has done a million times more than what I intended, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the love I’ve been shown.

Although, with the platform, I get asked tons and tons of questions on things I’m still learning about myself, and people expect me to have the answers, because my content is so lively that it really does seem like I do. I don’t know the publishing industry. I don’t know how to find an agent. When I’m asked general questions about writing, I just throw something together that comes from no place but what I’ve learnt through my own experience!

Perfection couldn’t be further from the point. If anything, I’ve learned that the messier I let my writing be, the more real it feels. Creativity wasn’t born from perfection, it was born from errors that breach normality, errors that allow you to grow and discover things that you never would have had you been so fixated on being flawless. The more mistakes I made, the more I found me. My writing voice. The worst thing a writer can be is afraid. Especially if that fear is over mistakes, perfection is anything but essential, you can’t let fear of straying from the norm stop you from expressing yourself how you naturally would. If you’re feeling scared to write, that’s the best time to do so.

Gabz - Micro Influencer

Mina Perroni

There’s no one-size-fits-all path, and that’s the beauty of it. Some days you’ll feel like you’re soaring, and others, like you’re barely holding it together. Both are valid. Be kind to yourself in the in-between — growth often happens in the quietest moments. Show up as you are, not as you think you should be. That’s where your power lives.