Influencers’ routines not always real for real people

Influencers routines not always real for real people

By Aliyah DePersio, Staff Writer

Your alarm goes off, the glowing lights reflect the early morning time of 6 a.m., with no hesitation you rise out of bed. The first thing you do is perfectly make your bed, not a single crease can be found. After your pillows are fluffed and arranged accordingly you do your morning workout. What follows after is a shower and then a healthy, homemade breakfast. With a freshly brewed cup of coffee you sit down with your laptop to start work. You’re ready to tackle your day with ease, everything is on a nice organized schedule. This is just simply just a part of your everyday routine.

Social media influencers have become a large part of content consumed by many. The biggest group being lifestyle influencers. Something about their day to day routine has a hold on the masses. It is an idyllic life that one could envy. From morning routines that involve waking up early and hitting the gym, to night time routines that have seven step skin care routines. While this works for a select group of individuals, this type of lifestyle isn’t one the average person can keep up. So they watch from a screen someone else live this type of life. Whether it’s for the enjoyment of watching someone organize their life or watching someone’s daily routine. It could even be for the products they use or recipes they make. It is a source of escapism where the viewer can imagine that their life is as simple and ideal as the one they are watching.

Lifestyle influencers aren’t a new internet trend. This group has dominated YouTube and Instagram. From “Get Ready With Me” videos to perfectly captured photos, these influencers promote a life that many watch with interest. TikTok lifestyle influencers are also big, as their organizational videos appeal to many. “I like watching for the organizational factor,” said Sara Misik. Misik is in her early twenties, roughly around the same age as these influencers. Since the age groups of the influencer and the audience are rather close, the influencer seems like a sort of standard that the audience should follow. Make your bed in the morning, eat healthy, use dairy alternatives in your at home coffee, do all of this and you can achieve the lifestyle you see them have. They also have everything in a nice, neat place. Order is one of their main structures, which is a big appeal to their audience. There is something about watching a person pour a bag of chips into a clear container labeled “chips”, that people really seem to enjoy. It serves no actual purpose, except that it is aesthetically pleasing for the viewer to watch.

However, this lifestyle isn’t one that is easy for the average person to achieve. The biggest obstacles standing in the way are time and money. “I would love to live like that, but I just don’t have the time because of work,” said Kayla Nelson. Nelson is a college student who has to work in order to provide for herself. She does little things to mimic the actions of these influencers when possible. If her budget allows, Nelson prefers to grocery shop and make homemade food for her meals. Misik also tries to do this, but with her busy schedule sometimes fast food is the only option. Not many people have the time or money to make organic, home cooked meals every day. For Nelson time is also an issue, as she lacks the extra time it takes to fit these extra steps into her schedule. Going to the gym, meditating or finding time for self care; these are all things influencers preach, but not something most people have time for on a daily basis.

Work is also a common theme. Work dictates time and generates money. For these lifestyle influencers, many have the luxury of working from home, which allows them to easily manage their time and schedule better. Most people are not able to do this due to having to commute to their workplace. This prohibits them from being able to do some of these influencer type routines. Making breakfast or working out in the morning potentially cuts into morning commute time. Since lunch is had at the workplace, fresh, hot meals are not easy to come by. And the commute home cuts into time set aside for the evening, meaning household chores and making dinner occupy this time. There is not much extra time for the extra self-care steps and organization. Working at home gives more flexibility to be able to add some of these extra things into one’s schedule.

Money is the root of everything. Most people don’t have extra money to put into a lifestyle like the ones influencers promote. Their morning and night routines are full of expensive skincare products. Having a seven step skincare routine just isn’t in the budget for many people. And at home care is not the only expense they have. Many influencers also have spa visits that they schedule every so many weeks. This also is not budget friendly to most. The wardrobes they promote are from stores that do not fit into the price range of their viewers. Promoted “Amazon favorites” that help them stay organized add up in the carts of those that wish to mimic them. The costs to keep up the facade of this lifestyle add up.

While it is important to incorporate a healthy diet and exercise routine into your life, doing it to the extreme of influencers is not necessary. All the other extra things they do are good to add in if you can: organization, cooking at home, making time for self-care. It is not always achievable for the average person with a busy schedule, and that’s okay. The life of a lifestyle influencer is hard for the average person to achieve. However, it is a nice form of escapism for one to dream about life being that simple and routine orientated.