Lily-Rose, or @itslilyroselol on Tiktok, is known for her comedic, down-to-earth, and relatable content, amassing 1.9 million followers since her first posts back in 2018.
We recently got the incredible opportunity to catch up with the TikTok and Instagram influencer to learn more about her start to social media, her favorite moments over the years, and some of the challenges she’s dealt with along the way.
1. Have you always wanted to be involved with social media? What made you start posting back in 2018?
I dropped out of school at 15 and I always found it extremely hard to make friends. I was bullied so badly that I ended up moving school two times, but nothing got better so I eventually dropped out. I was homeschooled and worked from the age of 15 up until 19. I remember always wanting to have an online presence and that’s when I came across TikTok. I started posting on there because I thought if I couldn’t make friends in real life then perhaps I could make them online. Slowly but gradually, I blew up and started gaining hundreds of thousands of supporters.
2. Was there a moment when you realized that this was what you were going to do? Maybe a post or a partnership that was your ‘I made it’ moment?
At the start, I prayed. I asked for guidance and said that if I’m supposed to blow up on social media then please give me a sign. I left it at that and continued posting and surely enough the followers started to roll in. That’s the point where I knew I wanted to fully commit to social media.
3. Is there anything you wish someone had told you when you first started? Warned you about? Is there anything that you’d do differently?
I think I really underestimated just how invasive having a big platform could be. Putting your entire life online opens the door to a lot of hate. I think I also didn’t realise how much privacy I’d lose. I struggle to go out without getting noticed, followed, or filmed. It’s a hard one because whilst I am extremely grateful for my supporters, but sometimes there are people who aren’t very nice/ friendly or will be very loud and follow me, which just makes me extremely uncomfortable. But I guess it comes with the job.
4. What’s your favourite story behind a collaboration/partnership that you’ve done?
I love all of the campaigns I get to work on because each one is a different experience. But if I had to choose I’d say my absolute favourite was partnering up with Disney and getting to see the new Marvel campus at Disney Land Paris before it opened. That was a super surreal moment as I’m a huge fan of Marvel!
5. What highlights and lowlights have you experienced since starting?
The highlight of my career would be having a platform that is a safe space for the younger generation. Being able to help people who are suffering with coming out or anxiety is beyond rewarding for me. I feel like because I didn’t have that whilst growing up, it’s nice to be that for others who have gone through similar situations to me.
A lowlight would probably just be the hate. It’s inevitable, but it just sucks. The hate and everyone constantly having an opinion on everything I do. Even if I haven’t done anything wrong, some people love to find any reason to be horrible.
6. Do you think TikTok & TikTok Live have allowed you to create a community around your content? Is community a big part of why you do all this?
Yes. TikTok allowed me to be myself and gain supporters whilst doing it. My supporters are why I do what I do. I love knowing that I’m making them happy and I love knowing that me just posting a video could make someone’s day better.
7. What goals do you have for the future? (expanding that community, more collaborations, working with others?)
My dream is to keep growing my platform and spreading positivity. If I just happen to get campaigns along the way, that’s just a bonus. But it’s not the reason why I do what I do. Another dream of mine is just to inspire the younger generation to just be the best versions of themselves they can be! Remind them to always push themselves to their limits and they can achieve anything!
8. What are some challenges you’ve encountered as a member of the LGBTQ+ community? How do you deal with those challenges, and negative feedback in general?
I’ve received a huge amount of homophobia but I’m at the point now where I just block it out. If people have time to hate on me then I’m already winning. They’re taking time out of their day to study and critique me… and I’m busy just living my life.
9. What’s one Hot Take that you stand by?
Everything happens for a reason. I’ve been through a whole lot of ups and downs in my career. It may not make sense why a certain situation is happening at the time. But everything adds up eventually.
10. What’s a common misconception surrounding social media that might help other aspiring influencers?
I think a misconception about social media is that not everyone can do it. Anyone who has a dream to be big on social media can do it. They just need to be consistent. Consistency is key.
I hope her experience can inspire introverts and aspiring influencers to push through hardship and dream big! She continues to love what she does and live her best life in the process, blocking out the hate from all directions. Thanks again to Lily-Rose, it was so great to hear from her, and be sure to check her out @itslilyroselol on TikTok!
