Cleo Wade is an influencer. With over 450,000 followers – counting on her empowerment Insta mantras who practice self-acceptance, knowing your value and overcome heartbreak, she really owns that room. So it's no surprise to the 30-year-old Heart Talk The author has been taken by Aerie to be the newest # AerieREAL model.
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Of course, the new position means that she is now displayed in (always unprotected!) Campaign photos for the brand, but she also takes that title very seriously. She recently opened up to Cosmopolitan about what it really means to be a role model (Tip: It's not just about being a well-known person.) Browse all the wisdom of tea and more, which you should know.
What is a role model really means:
For a long time, we confused people who have many eyes on them as role models and The main difference between someone who is a role model and someone who is not that those who wake up every morning with the intention of having their work – or what they stand for – are a next generation template.
With celebrity and online culture We see that these degradations happen to people sometime because they say, "I'm not a model. I never said I wanted to be one," because they really wanted to be an entertainer or a businesswoman. I think we can celebrate everyone for their individual assignments and we do not need to make anyone feel that they are smaller than because we believe that if they are influential, they should do X, Y or Z when people really should chase their dreams.
On their own role models:
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As a writer and someone who gets up every morning with the goal of being an active citizen, If people like Gloria Steinem never existed, I would not even know where to start. I feel the same way James Baldwin, Alice Walker and Maya Angelou.
On the positivity of the body – and beyond:
I think we've lived with really oppressive standards – whether it's beauty or law or politics. As women and as people in color we are not where we need to be. We thought we were free, but we are not available. We see how voters suppression happens across the country. We see that women can have more money to buy products than they have ever had, but how are these products sold to us? Are everyone included in the beauty standard? We challenge these standards in every space that exists and it's great for that There are so many walls to break down and so many spaces to further liberate ourselves.
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On her personal path to self-acceptance:
I was quite paralyzed by the racism I felt in New Orleans as a child. I did not really know how to handle it and my parents did not have tools to help me stand up for myself. I always say I was a late bloomer about many things I care about now because it took me a long time to learn how to care about myself. When I did, I understood how to care about the world, the environment and our policies. To me, my silence during many of my painful teens is a great reason why I use my voice so much today. When I talk to young girls about finding their voice, I never try to rush them out of the trauma they can feel from the times they needed to be quiet because they thought it was the only way to survive.
To overcome his public speaking fear:
I'm suffering from really bad scene horror, which is really hilarious because I speak publicly for a living. I am very sick with nervousness every time, if it is five people or 5,000 people. One of the mantras I tell myself before an event is "As long as you can not tie it up."