This week, I decided to post on TikTok with abandon. I felt stifled and fed up with the overly curated content of Instagram, and felt compelled just to post. No overthinking, no making sure my feed looks perfectly color coordinated, no thinking about the end game; just sharing things I loved. A very “no thinking just vibes” approach I am trying to embrace with social media. I didn’t give myself any rules except for one: I had to post at least every other day.
This experiment started quite well. I posted a video of my outfit that featured a very large-collared top (similar here) and big chunky boots which was a hit (below left). And let me be clear, “a hit” for me is 150+ likes. After being trained by Instagram to settle for the bare minimum for the last few years, 150+ likes counts as a real success in my book. This video ended up getting about 206 likes total, which I was grateful for. The girls who got it, got it. And so I posted again.
This post didn’t perform as well as the first, which I expected, but I was starting to feel inspired again. I looked forward to getting dressed, something that up until recently has been quite daunting, and I felt that same excitement I felt in the early days of Instagram. All of the inspiring content, the community, and the complete lack of pressure to perform was a breath of fresh air after enduring the doom and gloom of screaming into the Instagram vortex for so long.
And so I pushed on, creating outfits that made me happy and feel good when I wore them. I even went on a few thrifting trips last week (and thrifted nearly an entirely new wardrobe, I might add) to add more color to my closet. One of the pieces I’m most excited about is this poppy red cashmere sweater (top left) from the brand AYR. I found it at Full Circle Thrift in Altadena and it was originally $40, but the seam was ripped up the side. They knocked the price down to $10 for the damage so I took it home, sewed it up, went over it once with my trusty sweater-shaver to remove the pilling, and it was good as new. I’ll share more of my finds once I’ve finished washing and mending them.
Eventually, my TikTok “success” plateaued and I was placed in the dreaded 200-300 view jail, but I feel okay about it. The beauty of a flop is that no one is around to see it, unless of course you are me and talking about it in your newsletter, but I digress. I am going to keep sharing on TikTok because it genuinely makes me happy—the pressure is so low and the expectations are nearly nonexistent, and it has helped me get past my ever-present fear of being perceived and my obsession with making everything perfect before I put it out into the world. No one cares and nothing matters which makes it infinitely easier to put yourself out there, and I think it’s important in this day and age to follow the things that bring you joy without constantly thinking about where it’s getting you. Do things simply for the joy of doing them, without the expectation of viewership. I find that the most wonderful and genuine things are created this way. So! Wear the clothes that make you happy, make silly little videos if you want to, and find a little community that makes you feel good. And when you start to overthink, remember: no thoughts, just vibes (sorry).
Also, if you’re on TikTok I’d love to follow you! Drop your username below if you want to be TT pals. xo