We were lucky to catch up with Avery Love recently and have shared our conversation below.
Avery, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
I was someone who struggled with self-love and confidence growing up. I spent a lot of time comparing myself and focusing on what I lacked vs what I had. When I first went natural, I was afraid of how I’d look, whether my hair was too “nappy”, and many other things. But the journey helped me to love and embrace myself like never before. There has always been a negative perception of my hair type within my community and the world in general and I wanted to change that. Many would tell me that I was bold for wearing my afro out different places or in the workplace. But it was simply me embracing what God naturally gave me.
This journey taught me how to embrace my beauty, inside & out. It helped me fall in love with myself, truly, for the first time in my life. It helped me to be confident in myself again and not be phased by the opinions of others. I was able to see ME. The me I am at my core and who God created me to be.
I want to encourage and inspire others who struggle to accept and love themselves. Whether through my life story, hair & beauty, or my faith. I want my life and the work I do to help other young girls, women, and even men, love themselves and shine their light on others. And show that no matter what you’ve done, been through, or feel you lack, you are ALWAYS deserving of love but it starts with you first. You are worthy and deserving of all things good.
Avery, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Hi, I’m Avery Love, originally from Arkansas. I got started in the influencer industry a few years ago after deciding to go natural. The more I fell in love with my hair and my journey, the more I wanted to share and encourage others to feel the same. Figuring out your natural hair can be taxing and frustrating, so I wanted to show others that they weren’t alone and how to love & embrace the journey. I don’t sell any products or services (YET), but I aim to provide love, encouragement, joy, and entertainment through my content. That’s what I aspire my brand to stand for. To shed light in this dark, harsh world we live in.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I had to learn how to stop doubting myself and my abilities. Although I have grown from that shy, insecure, young girl, I still have my moments when I’m not 100% confident in myself. For a while, I doubted that people would actually like, watch, or enjoy my content. I watched different YouTubers and felt like I didn’t measure up. So, it made me reluctant to post anything. I would go through moments where I wouldn’t post anything for a while because I didn’t feel qualified or didn’t think people would support me being an influencer. It wasn’t until recently actually, that I finally took the standards and limits off of myself and started pursuing it more. I had to realize that true supporters will come and that I just had to stay true to myself and what I believe in terms of goals & aspirations for myself.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Simply put, just do it! Record the content, post the video! Just do it! Do it scared, nervous, whatever it is. I’m still working myself on building my presence on social media. I believe we put too much pressure on ourselves that we start to overthink everything to the point where we just end up not doing anything. Of course it’s good to know what is trending at the moment so you can boost your engagement but I think you have to still stay true to yourself and what you want your brand to represent. Never compromise your beliefs and morals for the sake of going viral. The audience and supporters will come.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/iayylove?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iayylove?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@iayylove