Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Janean Gray. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Janean, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

I’ve always wanted to be in the entertainment industry from rapping to acting to directing. As a teenager, I’ve been in plays and talent shows and have written short skits. Once I started posting on TikTok, I realized I was able to showcase my talent in my videos when I wanted, while talking about a product. The first time I used my talent was by writing a poem and incorporating the body glazes. People seemed to really like that so I made another video basically acting and made myself cry to make the scene believable. People seemed to like it so I even made a video with me rhyming a couple of bars about natural deodorant.
Making content that allows me to utilize my talents makes me happy and has me in a great mood. It’s like an excitement high and rush I get when I’m in my zone.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Low self esteem and depression has been something I’ve struggled with for years but I learned to deal with it by writing and being creative because I controlled the situation. I controlled the pen and paper. I controlled the crowd. I controlled the story. I had a baby at 21 and was a single mother. Everything I wanted to do was forgotten about so I could be a mom and care for my child. I worked 2-3 jobs off and on as well as attending college thru the years. I made it thru college and got my daughter thru college. My daughter has always been supportive and has told me and encouraged me almost daily, to get back to rapping and acting. Age can play a factor in many things as well as body image, so I never went for it.
I started buying body glazes on TikTok and made a post showcasing how many I owned. People started engaging with me so I continued to post content. I was afraid to show my face or my body because the Internet can be brutal! My daughter encouraged me to take a chance and go live and I just did one day. My audience grew and started looking to me for suggestions about the glazes and what to wear with them. The people attending my lives continued to grow and people told me they had been looking forward to seeing me and hearing what I had to say. I’m able to help people decide on a body butter scent or what perfume to pair with it. As minor as it may seem, there are men and women who truly have questions and aren’t sure what to wear or are skeptical until I’ve engaged with them.
What started as my like for a body glaze has turned into a proud moment of helping to boost my self esteem and finally after all these years, not care if people thought I was ugly or too big. I type this and am teary eyed because I felt myself going backwards and being depressed. I felt like I would never look good enough for anyone to pay attention to me outside of my comfort zone. Being on TikTok has given me that feeling of being in control again of the pen, the paper, the mic, and the situation.
I want my followers to know that when I create content or go live, it’s because I love to interact with them. I love giving my opinions on something we all love or hate but still having fun with it and having laughs along the way. I love trying their suggestions on layering, too. Nothing I say is made up about perfumes or body care items I use. I like to share what smells good to me with others and know what smells good to them. Providing different layering combinations has turned into fun and created friendships along the way, even meeting one in person.
Though I still have my moments, I’m happy and have improved my self esteem. I’ve showcased not only items I have purchased, but my talent as well and people seem to really enjoy it. So I thank my multiple purchases of body glaze for leading me to be on TikTok daily posting videos or going live and engaging and getting back to my love of perfumes. Had I not purchased a single glaze, this story would be full of sadness and tears.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to continue to learn to love and appreciate myself and not let other’s ideas of image determine who I am. My mission is to grow my following and eventually have brands reach out to me but still remain true to myself while having fun and earning extra cash.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I started searching body glaze and was able to stumble on an entire community of people who love body glaze, too. Commenting on videos and participating in lives lead us to follow each other. My advice to anyone who wants to get started on social media, find the community you love and fit in to. Create what feels right to you. Know who your audience is and have fun while getting to yourself as well as them.
Tell yourself there’s good and bad with everything but enjoy it until it’s no longer fun for you!

Contact Info:

• Other: TikTok username is janean_says_