Despite the fact that it’s 2020 and the beauty industry has made major strides in ditching unrealistic standards, our appearance and our mental health are still very much intertwined. Of course, in the era of the selfie, it’s no surprise that social media has a lot to do with it. 

In recent years, frequent use of social media has been linked to increased feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and envy. In fact, according to a recent survey, 60% of people using social media reported that it has impacted their self-esteem in a negative way.

But there’s good news: Beauty brands like OGX are putting out positive messages and prioritizing not only self-care but also self-love. With their campaign “Uncap the Love,” OGX is inspiring people to remove their self-imposed limits on love and let go of the things that are holding them back.

So, how exactly do you “uncap” your self-love and cultivate confidence inside and out during the social media age?   

To help us answer that question, Create & Cultivate along with our friends at OGX brought together a panel of powerhouse women for a candid conversation on uncapping self-confidence and self-love at our recent Digital Summer Camp summit.

Ahead, we’re sharing all the mic-drop moments from the conversation with Jessica Franklin, Kandee Johnson, and Melissa Alatorre. Prepare to write these down.

On tapping into your voice on social media...

“Always talk like you’re talking to your best friend. When you’re your most comfortable, when you’re your quirky, weird, unique, different self, that is going to be the you that people will fall in love with.” - Kandee Johnson

On getting real with your audience… 

“Other people are going through it too.” - Jessica Franklin 

“From posting my struggles, I realized everyone has them and people want to relate.” - Jessica Franklin 

“People can relate and feel like they’re not alone.” - Jessica Franklin

On being vulnerable with your followers...

“As long as my content is helpful, I’m willing to share it, even if it’s embarrassing.” - Melissa Alatorre

“I recently started opening up about my struggles with IBS and the response has just been incredible. I don’t mind sharing something embarrassing as long as it helps someone.” - Melissa Alatorre

On having grace for yourself during COVID-19…

“Go easy on yourself. If you have a day where you’re not productive, that’s okay.” - Kandee Johnson

“It’s okay to feel stuck. It’s okay to feel some type of way about this situation because we’re all going through it together.” - Melissa Alatorre 

On monetizing your account without alienating your audience…

“I have to genuinely like and use the product.” - Jessica Franklin

“If you don’t love the product and it’s not a genuine review and something that you would actually use, it’s not going to resonate with your audience.” - Jessica Franklin

On dealing with negative comments…

“You can get thousands of people saying wonderful things to you all day long, and it’s the one awful one that just gets to you.” - Kandee Johnson

“A miserable person—whether they’re upset, stressed out hurt—whatever the content of their heart is, that’s what’s going to spew out of them.” - Kandee Johnson

“If I’m going to reply, it’s going to be a reply with a lot of love. It’s never going to be a snapback or a clap back.” - Kandee Johnson

“It’s usually better to ignore it and leave that alone and go about your day and focus on the people that love you and do have positive things to say.” - Kandee Johnson

“If you’re following me just to be negative and give negative energy to my page, there’s no point. If I can, I’ll just ignore it, block, and just keep moving.” - Jessica Franklin

“You need boundaries on social media because everyone thinks they have privilege and access to you and that they can say whatever they want and that you’re not human.” - Jessica Franklin 

“Your platform is like your house, and you wouldn’t invite these people to come into your house and say these disrespectful and rude things.” - Kandee Johnson 

On finding the silver lining…

“When you’re at your worst, at your most rock bottom, you have nothing to lose, so you can start any new ideas.” - Kandee Johnson

On cultivating confidence…

“Confidence comes from knowledge.” - Melissa Alatorre

“Knowledge is power and that gives you confidence.” - Melissa Alatorre

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