Oftentimes, social media is associated with negativity. With wealthy influencers documenting their escapades on tropical islands with perfect bikini bodies, many social media users find themselves questioning their own inner and outer beauty. Cue Karly Polosnik, a body and sex-positive content creator whose combined 550k followers have benefited greatly from her candidness and self-love.
TheThings spoke with Karly about her brand's messaging and the importance of acceptance.
Posting and Podcasting
One of the amazing aspects of social media is that it allows otherwise unknown individuals a voice in the public arena. For content creators like Karly, that voice allows for helping others to see the value in themselves.
So, what inspired Karly to start posting on social media?
"I actually started doing social media as a hobby/way to fill my time. I started my blog in high school and really doubled down on it during my gap year. At the time, I was just writing about lifestyle topics and what it was like waiting to get into my university program...I started on TikTok back in 2019 when no one thought it was a cool app to be on, but I did it anyway. Flash forward to 2023, and it’s honestly kind of crazy to have 500k+ people who choose to follow me and enjoy the content I’m putting out there."
Since the beginning of Karly's social media journey - as she alluded to - her platform has grown quite significantly. Karly is now revered as one of the more transparent and validating individuals on TikTok. Shedding light on the oppressive force of diet culture and showing off her gorgeous, plus-size figure, Karly has and continues to challenge the standard ideals of beauty.
With all that Karly has accomplished, we wanted to know what her hopes are for her platform moving forward.
"The biggest thing I always say is that I want my platforms and my journey as an influencer to inspire other people to chase and achieve their dreams. My audience has seen me go from a high school student... to becoming a full time influencer and I really feel like being so transparent about that journey inspires people to chase their dreams. At the end of the day, when people look at my social media and interact with my platforms, I want them to feel empowered."
Not only has Karly emphasized this messaging through social media, she has also revamped her podcast, Hey Bitches, which discusses on sex, dating, and lifestyle. Having started the podcast in 2019, Karly's podcast has seen tremendous progress. Her recent re-launch has allowed her to focus on the person she has evolved into rather than who she once was.
"Originally, I started the podcast to talk about a breakup I was going through in a more “private” way than on Instagram – aka I didn’t have to exactly attach my face to it. In December of 2020, the podcast unexpectedly skyrocketed and landed on Apple’s New & Notable section and the rest is history! 'Hey Bitches' is now a 3x award nominated podcast... As I got older and healed a lot of that relationship trauma, I knew that the podcast needed a shift. The recent re-launch feels like it’s meeting me more at my current stage of life... than just recounting wild stories... While I still have many stories to tell in the vault, the new era of 'Hey Bitches' leans towards the folks who are growing up and moving into new stages of their lives."
Diversity and Self-Care
Karly uses her platforms to not only discuss self-acceptance as it pertains to body positivity, but all aspects of oneself. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and a woman of color, Karly is no stranger to adversity.
Being that she unabashedly shares her life online, we asked Karly about her experience as a minority in the public eye.
"It’s been great and not great all at the same time. I’ve been Black my whole life so that’s something that is really just my first nature. However, I did come out in May of 2022 as a lesbian. I’d say 90% of the time since then it’s been nothing but incredible. I have an amazing partner, my family and friends are accepting, my audience is extremely supportive... and I am incredibly grateful for that. On the other hand, I recently experienced a situation that I had never faced before being straight. I recently had a deal where a brand consistently pushed back on any narrative around me mentioning that I have a girlfriend and not just a partner under the guise of “reaching a wider audience”. In reality, that brand allowed other straight creators to use terms like “girlfriend” and “boyfriend.” It was really jarring to me because it was the first time I’d ever experienced thinly veiled homophobia."
In 2023, an era of change, acceptance, and diversity, it's appalling to see brands failing to utilize their platforms to uplift minority communities. From makeup brands whose foundation lines do not extend beyond tan to Bud Light's backlash for its partnership with trans influencer, Dylan Mulvaney, it seems intolerance is still very much present in the world. Therein lies the beauty of creators like Karly.
As our interview concluded, we asked Karly one final question: what advice do you have for those who struggle with self-acceptance?
"The biggest [body image stigma] is that skinny equals healthy and fat equals unhealthy. This is a perpetuated narrative by diet culture that still plagues people to this day. There are so many thin people I know that don’t take care of their bodies in any way but just happen to be thin, and there are people I know who exist in larger bodies who take care of themselves every single day. We need to stop thinking that the size or shape of a person's body automatically puts them into any type of category... I’m a BIG affirmation girlie! Two of my tried and true tips are saying affirmations out loud like, “I love my body”, “I am confident," etc. The second one, my favorite, is to create a playlist that makes you feel happy when you hear it. Throw it on, get naked, and host a solo dance party in the mirror! I swear there’s something about listening to music that produces those happy chemicals in your brain while looking at yourself in your most natural state that eventually tells your brain “when I look at myself I feel good."
To Spotify we go!
