- 2 months ago
Cut The Dupe
Danielle Wright, Essence GU Editor
Aliyah's Interlude, Digital Creator
Haley Jones, Professional Women's Basketball Player, Broadcaster & Owner
Danielle Wright, Essence GU Editor
Aliyah's Interlude, Digital Creator
Haley Jones, Professional Women's Basketball Player, Broadcaster & Owner
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hi, what's Sexy Red said? Make some noise, y'all.
00:12All right, nice to meet you all. I am Danielle Wright, the content editor of Girls United,
00:17and I'm so, so, so happy to have you all here and see your beautiful faces here in Atlanta.
00:22But before we jump back into our panels, I just want to remind everyone, anyone who has
00:27signed up for the Speed Mentoring to make their way over to that area really soon, because
00:32you don't want to miss all those great conversations. And don't forget to go to Girls United website
00:36and register for the newsletter so you can all get your little swag bags. But right now,
00:41we are going to check in with a few of Gen Z's most successful influencers who are going
00:45to share how they maintain their individuality as creatives without compromising their authentic
00:51integrity. Here to have that convo with me is fashion creator Alia Zinnerlude and WNBA star
01:00broadcaster and owner Hailey Jones. Hello, hello, ladies. All right. Let me get these cue cards
01:14to get a child. All right. All right. So in a few words, I'd like everyone to start by sharing,
01:22how would you describe your personal brand and what you represent? Hailey, you go first.
01:27Hi, everyone. I think I would describe my personal brand as authentic and genuine, but just trying to
01:36let my personality show through in all the different pieces of my life, whether it's basketball or
01:40broadcasting or doing whatnot. Love that. Aaliyah? Hey, y'all. I would say mine would be real,
01:50bold, and also eccentric. Love that. Love that. So Miss Aaliyah, you literally took your personal
02:01style and turned it into a huge fashion moment for Gen Z with hashtag Aaliyah Core. What fuels the level
02:10of confidence that makes you unafraid to bet big on yourself and let your individuality lead the
02:15way? I think I really just realized that regardless of what you do or say, you're going to get judged.
02:23So therefore, you might as well do what you generally want to do. So I think just living in my truth every
02:29single day has been like something that I'm just so proud of myself for. And the fact that I get to
02:35encourage other girls to do so through fashion and through the thing that's like my first love
02:40is just amazing. Love that. Love that. Haley, you've been able to successfully balance being a
02:46professional athlete and a podcaster at the same time. What about being an athlete helps you be a
02:51better creative and vice versa? I think being a professional athlete, it gives you the opportunity
02:57to have a lot of time. After you're done with your workouts and whatnot at 2 p.m., then I have the rest of
03:02the day to figure out what I really want to do. I've always used basketball as a way to get me
03:06where I want to go. It got me to get a Stanford degree to now be a professional athlete and do
03:11all these different things outside of it. So I think having basketball be one part of my personality,
03:15I'm able to have that creative side outside of it and figure out what I really want to do,
03:20what my passions are. Love that. Love that. So let's talk a little bit about partnering with brands.
03:26As content creators who have consistently proven that your authenticity is here to stay,
03:32what are some of your non-negotiables when a brand approaches you about partnering?
03:38That's such a good question. I feel like if it's something that I would never use in real life,
03:45I most likely would not tell other people to use it because that just kind of goes against being
03:51authentic also. And also, I would say my rates are non-negotiable because the girls know when you
04:01are someone who is trusted within the influencer space, you have a lot of influence. So therefore,
04:07they got to pay for your time and energy.
04:11Haley?
04:11I completely agree. I think it's very transparent when you're selling something to your audience that
04:16you don't even use. Your viewers can tell you've also built your audience with this trust.
04:21So I think it's the rates as well. But it's really just like you want to be a partner of the brand.
04:27You don't just want to be a face where you're going to say everything that they said and you're
04:31just going to not have any type of input. So I think it's finding brands that have the same values
04:36that you do, that speak about things the same way you do, and where you're really going to be a
04:40partner and get to give your input as to what your content is going to be.
04:45So would you say that y'all have had more success with approaching the brands you want to partner
04:52with? Or have you had more success with waiting for brands to approach you?
04:56I think at the very beginning, when you're just building your following, it's much better to
05:02go after the brands that you want to work with. But when brands start seeing your views and you
05:10doing more brand deals, they tend to come to you. So I think it's just a mixture of both. And if you
05:16really want to work with a brand, a lot of times just reaching out is one of the best ways to do
05:20that too.
05:21Got it, got it. So we all have those days where our confidence is a little lower than usual.
05:26What are some things that y'all do to still stay on top of your game while also
05:31reminding yourself that it's okay not to be okay sometimes?
05:36I think it's really what we both talked about, our platforms being built on being authentic and
05:40genuine. So I'm not just posting on days where I feel like my best self, where I'm looking the best,
05:45full face of makeup done. I'm posting every day. Post-workout, when I'm sweaty, after a loss,
05:51whatever it may be, just showing that I'm genuinely going through all these different
05:54things in my life, I think has been the basis of my platform. So even when things aren't going well,
06:01that's still the time to post. That's the time to show that you're being vulnerable and really get
06:05that connection with your audience.
06:07I love that. So Aaliyah, what's the hardest lesson you've learned so far about why it's important
06:13not to compromise your integrity as you grow, no matter how big the bag is or how tempting it may
06:19be?
06:21That's such a good question. Can you repeat it one more time?
06:24Got it. So what's the hardest lesson you've learned so far about why it's important not
06:30to compromise your integrity as you grow, no matter how big the bag is or how tempting it may be?
06:37I think just sometimes, I feel like when I was just starting my career, when I
06:41like I needed money like way more, I think that I feel like a lot of brands, especially when
06:47they're not authentic to you, they have like such guidelines and stuff that would never align with
06:53anything that you truly do. But I think just like seeing your audience react to it in like a negative
07:00way because they know that that's not you has been something that like I've had to learn and just
07:06step back from also.
07:07What about you, Aaliyah?
07:09Yeah, I think it's definitely hard to turn down a big bag when it's something that's like,
07:14okay, this may be a dream company of mine or something like that. But they're asking you to
07:18do something that isn't who you are, it's difficult. But I think it's really like going to those
07:23negotiations, having your non-negotiables, what I'm willing to give on, what I'm not. And if you don't
07:28reach it, then you really got to prioritize yourself and be like, I'm bigger than the brand,
07:32I'm worth more to myself and not giving up who I am just to make this bag. And I think also there's
07:38other companies where you can get those same lucrative deals that align more with your value.
07:42So there's always other ways to go about it.
07:45Got it. So I feel like this next question is a bit controversial. So at this point, it seems like
07:51anyone who has a social media presence is a role model for someone, whether they like it or not.
07:56Do any of you feel any pressure to stay consistent in what you represent or even censor who you are in
08:03any way just because someone young might be watching?
08:06I'm not going to lie. Yes. When I first started making content, I would swear a lot and do a lot
08:14of things. But I realized as I was growing, when I would go outside, a lot of younger audiences would
08:22come up to me too. And I'd be like, Oh, my bad. Like I felt so bad. So I just stopped cursing as much.
08:28But other than that, I feel like once your audience truly knows you and starts to care
08:34about you as a person, they know that human beings change and we all go through different
08:38seasons of our lives where we're not going to be the same exact person we were when we first
08:42started making content. And they'll adjust eventually, but you got to put you first, period.
08:48Haley? Yeah, I agree. I think it's really finding a balance of being who you are, but also
08:53understanding that young kids are looking up to you and they're mimicking everything that you do,
08:57what you say, the way you dress, the way you act. So it's finding a balance of being yourself,
09:01but also having that understanding. So like if I'm out on the court and I'm acting crazy and I have a
09:06horrible attitude, I'm getting thrown out of games and whatnot, like little kids are watching that,
09:10then that's the way they're going to behave in their games. So it's really finding that balance of like
09:15letting my personality show through, but in the most positive way a role model can.
09:19I love that. I love that. So what makes you most proud to be part of your generation,
09:25Gen Z, of creatives, content creators, and influencers?
09:29I love being a part of Gen Z. I think that Gen Z is one of the most creative, outspoken, and we just
09:37don't go for anything. Like we stand up for the things we want and I love that about us. And period,
09:43Gen Z for life. Yes, y'all know it. Shout out to Gen Z.
09:50I agree. I think just on the, we're very outspoken and unapologetically ourselves in
09:55everything that we do. Like us being up on this stage, it's not going to change who we are.
09:59Our personalities are going to show through. And I think it's really special to be a part of a
10:03generation where like, even if it's controversial, I'm going to have those conversations. I'm going to
10:07have them in my interviews. I'm going to say what I feel. If things are going wrong,
10:11I'm going to use my platform to do that. And I think the followers and audiences that we have
10:15then grow off that. And they're going to, you know, stitch videos and do the same thing,
10:19or they're going to use that to elevate our own platform. So I'm proud to be a part of Gen Z.
10:24I love it. I feel like Gen Z, like we really stand on business for real, for real.
10:28So, well, Aaliyah and Haley, this has been too much fun. Thank you again for joining us. But
10:33before we leave, how can we find y'all on social media?
10:37My at is Aaliyah's interlude on everything and Aaliyah interlude on Twitter.
10:43Yeah. My at is just Haley.Jones with like two or three extra S's on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
10:49All right. Well, thank you ladies. And you can catch Aaliyah performing It Girl later on today.
10:57All right. Thank you. Bye y'all.
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