Canadian influencer Spencer Barbosa 'never saw girls that looked like' her growing up. Now it's her mission to 'just be real'

Yahoo

2 days ago

At just 22, Spencer Barbosa has amassed millions of followers (more than 11 million, to be exact), built a digital brand rooted in self-love, launched a partnership with skincare & beauty brand Blume and cultivated a loyal community that sees her as more than just a content creator. Known for her unfiltered takes on beauty standards and body image, the Ontario-born influencer has never been afraid to keep it real.
"Growing up on social media, all I ever saw was perfect bodies, no hair, hair and makeup done all the time. ... So I made it my mission to just be real, because I never saw girls that looked like me on social media," she tells Yahoo Canada.
Her TikTok and Instagram pages are filled with messages of body positivity and self-acceptance, from embracing "bikini bloat" and skipping makeup when she wants, to speaking openly about topics women are often taught to hide.
"I became the person online that was the normal girl, that has stretch marks and cellulite and body hair and rolls on her stomach and sometimes wants to put a T-shirt on top of her bikini because she feels bloated," she says. "I just wanted to become that for other girls so that they felt more normal and felt accepted that way."
In a candid interview with Yahoo Canada, Barbosa shares the reality of being in the public eye and what she's learned along the way.
Despite her confidence, Barbosa admits being an influencer isn't always easy.
"The most challenging part is trying to not compare yourself," she says. "Even if you're not comparing yourself to other people, everybody is in your comments comparing you to other influencers: If you're doing enough, if you got invited on this trip, if you're wearing this outfit, if your outfit looks good today, if your hair looks good today.
"The most challenging part is that your life is underneath a microscope. Everyone is making up rumours about you ..., 'Oh, her boyfriend hates her,' or, 'Oh, she's not friends with this girl because of that.'"She says it can be difficult to remember what's real and what's fake: "Sometimes, I believe rumours about myself and then I'm like, 'Wait a damn minute, I didn't get a nose job when I was in grade seven.'"
Like many other influencers, she also deals with negative comments. In the past, she hasn't shied away from openly responding to negativity she receives online.
"It's never nice to hear someone say something bad about you," she says, adding she tries to keep in mind that it's not personal.
I made it my mission to just be real, because I never saw girls that looked like me on social media.Spencer Barbosa
"It's a 'them' problem ... a projection of their own insecurities. How do I deal with that? I make funny videos posting about the hate comments I get," she says. "I'd rather laugh at it than actually internalize it."
Still, she says there are a lot of positives that come with being an influencer: "It is the most rewarding thing I've ever done in my entire life. It is mind-blowing to me, how much of an impact I can make on someone's life, even though I'm so far away from them. ... It blows my mind that what I'm trying to do in this mission that I have is actually happening. I feel so connected to my followers, I really feel like we are best friends."
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When it comes to mental health, Barbosa keeps the same energy that she promotes online: Honesty, vulnerability and realness. Still, she notes there are time where she can do a better job of taking care of herself. She adds things like self-care days, talking it out with her boyfriend and even sharing her experience on social media can help.
"I sometimes struggle because I'm such an oversharer that I want to tell everyone everything all the time, and then I do realize that I'm allowed to have a bad day and don't need to tell everybody that," she says. "And I'm also allowed to have a bad day and tell people I'm having a bad day."
You should never feel ashamed about talking about your mental health.Spencer Barbosa
She emphasizes that there's power in simply speaking up: "You should never feel ashamed about talking about your mental health. ... If I don't speak up about mental health just because nobody else does it, then no one will ever speak up about mental health. ... It honestly sometimes feels really good to be vulnerable, because I find more confidence in myself — I'm proud of myself, that I could open up that much."
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Barbosa says the biggest lesson she's learned in her 20s so far is to stop trying to please everyone. Instead, she's adopted the "let them" theory, as popularized by Mel Robbins of The Mel Robbins Podcast.
"If somebody wants to say that I'm the worst influencer in the world and I'm the ugliest person to ever exist on this entire planet, let them, that is their opinion of me," Barbosa notes. "I will let them think whatever they want, and it's not my job to prove them wrong.
"If they want to leave hate comments, I will let them, because that's on them, and that is their own projection of themselves."
And when the criticism gets loud? She leans on advice she keeps close to heart: "Don't take criticism from people you wouldn't take advice from. ... It's not your body that needs to change. It's your mind."