Under The Influence
Dear Captain Rex-Tastic,
My girlfriend wants to be an influencer. She thinks she’s going to be rich!
Some background information: Rachelle works at KFC. She is a bit overweight and has problem acne. I don’t care, I love her for who she is. But facts are facts.
I want to support her dreams. She’s a sensitive soul. What if it gets ugly? She’s not really the influencer type.
How do I handle this?
Signed,
Failure Results In Emotional Damage
Dear FRIED,
Have you ever seen the musical Hairspray?
My favorite underdog story of all time!
It’s about a girl named Tracy Turnblad, who is considered too non-traditionally pretty to be worthy of the spotlight. Yet her dancing talents and perseverance ultimately triumph!
Take a gander:
Perhaps your girlfriend could do the same? Shouldn’t she at least try?
I am not naive. Of course, the odds of stardom are miniscule.
Even great talent is no guarantee of fortune and fame.
The thing about life: it may seem like a singular journey. And yes, that’s true. But it’s also a series of journeys! Some short, some long.
The lessons she learns undertaking this journey could propel her to greatness on the next.
How might you assist? That is the question. She might need tech support or production advice or just a sounding board for ideas. Do whatever you can.
The philosopher Kierkegaard said that life must be lived forward, but can only be understood backwards.
It’s impossible to know, at the beginning, where things will lead.
Thus I say tally-ho and hurrah! Help her go forward. Maybe it will mean something in the end.
All in all, there is only thing I can safely guarantee:
Rachelle will never forget who walked beside her along the adventure.
Counterpoint commentary by …
Shandoleesa, Mistress of the Trapeze
We must each earn our own time in the limelight.
Dreams cannot be mere wishes.
They require hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. Sometimes even pain.
I was a model in Brazil before the circus. Posing for hours for a photo, strutting on a catwalk? That life was not for me.
The trapeze offered no such tedium.
I started out at the bottom, I was nothing. A joke.
Diva behavior was not tolerated. Boss Cardiñal would have left me roadside had I acted in such fashion.
I had to prove myself every day.
That is where your girlfriend is now.
With little influence to be found.
Her chicken-shack life might be meager, but at least it offers a hint of meritocracy. Work hard, do well.
There are no such rules in the world she seeks to enter.
Exhibit A is that Hawk Tuah woman. A minimal talent who went viral and became a huge star.
Leapfrogging better and more industrious personalities.
There is no rhyme or reason for celebrity.
My only advice? Learn the game well, then play the best she can.
And keep that KFC uniform close on a hanger, in case her influencer dreams never take wing.
