Man Repeller talks do-overs and facing judgement

‘Blogging’ and ‘social media influencing’ – two professions that come armed with a whole lot of public opinion, both the good and the bad. And the judgement isn’t just reserved to those starting out – with even people at the top copping their fair share of scrutiny.

Recently speaking out about this on Man Repeller, founder and blogger Leandra Medine Cohen turned this habitude into a positive, revealing: “Only recently (in the past two years or so) did I stop feeling like I need to defend what I do. Brands were genuinely excited about working with Man Repeller from the get-go, but in my social circles, the overarching sentiment for a long time was, ‘So cute and fun that you have that blog, but what do you do for money?’ It took me a while to realise that it’s a really good thing people think what we do is easy; it means we make it look seamless, you know? The audience is always supposed to think, ‘I could do that, too!’”

She then went on to discuss whether or not she would do it all over again if she could go back in time, answering: “If I knew everything then that I know now about being an ‘influencer,’ I don’t think I would bat an eye before pursuing it again — I know myself well enough to know that I’m a narcissist. I get a real kick out of myself! I have a big personality, I’m comfortable sharing, I’m extroverted, I’ve got all the makings of what defines talent on the internet, right?

“If I knew everything I know now about running a business, though, I would probably think three or four times about whether I was actually cut out for it — whether I was genuinely interested in launching a media brand. Because that’s what has really shaken me to my core, and made me feel, at times, so profoundly unlike myself. But I hope that I would push myself to do it again.”

Leandra’s perspective is definitely one that resonates with a lot in the industry – with many loving the creative side of blogging and Instablogging but not so much the business duties that come with it. But while the struggles of invoices, salaries, contracts and hustling is real – here’s to hoping the good outweighs the bad.