Growth, healing, and transformation are traditionally experienced privately. Working on yourself is personal, and public input is only usually necessary if friends or family are helping hold a person accountable. Therefore, the process of becoming a better you is usually not broadcast. However, with the rise of lifestyle influencers and self-help coaches, self-development has become a content pillar. People will process their mental, emotional, and spiritual growth with the internet. How people feel about this content has changed over the years as people question its genuineness. There have been a few reasons the question of its authenticity presents itself.
First and foremost, the delivery. Some creators have been accused of having a ‘better than’ mentality as they grow, which doesn’t sit well with their following. There’s a lot of commotion surrounding the creator, Amanitalks for that. She rose to popularity as a lifestyle influencer with great hot takes. She was always blunt, confrontational, and a tad bit snooty. Over time, as she started taking her Christian journey seriously, her content shifted from comedy to condemnation. Though she claimed her beliefs changed, her rhetoric and delivery didn’t. The Christian religion is rooted in grace through faith, which means that because of your faith in Jesus, you’re empowered to shift things that weren’t in your purview before, and that usually starts with character. Therefore, the internet was confused when she claimed to be living a changed life but delivered content in an old way, which came off as condescending. Aggressive personal changes take time to digest. When something requires as much interpersonal development as learning new beliefs and habits to accompany it, time is needed to process. People have extended grace because they understand she’s on a journey, but that doesn’t excuse making people feel less than because they’re not. Therefore, when influencers make quick, extreme transitions into religion and then hop back on their mics, it raises a red flag for some.
Secondly, viewers have noticed influencers flip-flopping and prematurely profiting from their transformation. Alexis Sky has received backlash for that. The media personality opened up about her spiritual journey, and shortly after announcing she was changing her ways, she started selling a prayer journal. Fans were impressed and inspired by her seemingly new commitment to purity. A few months after announcing she was going on a spiritual journey, she took to IG live, backtracking a bit, saying she was pressured by friends and family to change her ways in order to become marketable as a wife. Fans began noticing that her social media presence started to look like it did before. They became disappointed and distrustful of her and, in turn, all influencers who made it a point to announce their spiritual journey. Fans felt influencers who turn to religion must be motivated outside of a heartfelt transformation, such as getting a man. Spiritual growth was then categorized as a “trend” and not a conversion.
Though there have been a few offputting influencers, there are celebrities going strong in their pursuit of spiritual growth. They say long-form conversion is a slow burn from the inside out, and that’s been the pattern of those who have stuck with their journey. Take Blac Chyna as an example. In Madame’s pursuit of modesty, she accomplished two years of sobriety, removed her fillers, lost weight, altered her wardrobe, and has been booked and busy. There’s a glow about her that wasn’t present before! But just because Blac Chyna’s journey looks one way doesn’t mean Amanitalks, Alexis Sky, or any other influencer going through a spiritual journey will look the same. Inner growth and healing are such intimate experiences, and how they manifest physically will differ. It’s hard to judge or conclude motives for that reason alone. But in almost every religion, God speaks of fruit, tangible evidence, from those who stay the course. It takes discipline, intentionality, and, most importantly, time to comprehend your beliefs and why. That’s what spiritual maturity is all about, and those who have received backlash have announced their commitments not too long ago. So, the answer to the headline must be that only time will tell.