Why Were Mikayla Nogueira's First Years as an Influencer Devastating for Her Mental Health?

Mikayla Nogueira says she reached 15 million followers in two or three years, and she calls that pace abnormal for a creator. She says the scale of hate was higher than a new influencer is used to. The first two or three years were devastating from a mental health perspective. She struggled badly, had dark moments, and many times wanted to quit. She asked herself whether she could keep doing it and whether she wanted to.

She says the biggest lesson is that the job is a choice. Posting, and receiving hateful comments every day, is something she chooses. She kept choosing it for everything else: the connections, the love of creating, beauty, makeup, the impact on people's lives, the experiences, the growth, the success, and the joy. She says she still does not have influencer fatigue. She wakes up excited to film and does not run out of ideas.