In a world where many youngsters, particularly females, are led to believe you can’t make it as a model unless you conform to certain stereotypes, runaway Instagram success Rexi James is a breath of fresh air.
The 21-year-old from Portland Oregon was born with Arthrogryposis Amyoplasia, a disability that affects her joints, tendons, and muscles. Through positivity and willpower, she overcame her disability and the naysayers to not only become a model but a social media influencer and journalism student.
Amongst her many talents, Rexi has a proven track record of producing the sort of content that quickly goes viral. She’s kindly agreed to take time out from her busy schedule to share her top five insights on how to create content that’ll spread like wildfire.
Embrace Your Uniqueness
Growing up I hated my disability. I loathed the fact I was different and simple tasks were uphill challenges. Yet as time ticked on I not only overcame my limitations but became stronger because of my disability. It made me independent, fiercely proud, and truly resilient. I embraced my uniqueness and now it defines who I am and what I do. It is the reason I have built such a big Instagram following. My advice is to find what is unique about you and promote it if you want to attract attention on social media.
Dare To Be Different
You can spend your life jumping through hoops for other people and ticking all the boxes you’re supposed to tick, and still end up feeling miserable. I say to hell with that. Unoriginal people create unoriginal content. We’re all as different and precious as snowflakes, so let your content reflect this.
Ignore The Haters
Anything different will attract trolls. I’ve had a lot of hate from a lot of bitter people because of my disability. They seem to believe because I don’t conform to their prejudiced view of what a model should be, that I’m somehow undeserving or have no business on the internet. Anyone successful online will eventually have to deal with such nastiness. The trick is to chuck it in a bucket and move on. If you care too much about what people think your content will always be lacking in substance.
Be Yourself And Be Passionate
If you’re not true to yourself on the internet and passionate about what you are doing, the audience will quickly see through it. When you find what you love to do, throw yourself into it completely with wild abandon. Authenticity sells and people respect the real deal.
Never Give Up
I’ve had to face a lot of obstacles to get where I am. In the beginning, I never thought I’d be taken seriously with a disability let alone be considered sexy. But here I am. There have been many times along the way I wanted to throw in the towel, but getting messages from other disabled people telling me how inspiring and brave they think I am has made it all worth it. People love positive content, it’s uplifting and acts as a light in the darkness, and inspires people to keep on chasing their dreams and living their own lives. If your content has both a message and a meaning then you won’t go far wrong.