ELLE Australia
Model and former contestant on The Block, Elyse Knowles, may have found fame on Instagram, but that doesn't mean she wants to let it define her. In a raw and honest interview in the latest issue of Stellar Magazine, the 25-year-old discussed the downside of social media stardom, the pressure of having to prove herself and the importance of switching off.
Elyse said, "I'm so sick of proving myself to everyone: proving you have to be this kind of person or you have to look like this or you have to be in a bikini in every shot. It kills me!" She continued, "I don't have to do that, no-one has to do that, but they think they do to get anywhere on social media. I don't want it to control me."
Though Knowles acknowledges that social media is not all bad. "It's a business for me," she explained. "I've used social media as a tool to get more awareness around me, my brand and who I am as a person. But now I don't want to rely on it. I want to be bigger and better."
The model also described the value of spending time away from social media, saying "When I'm switched off, I'm switched off. When you look at your phone you just compare yourself to everyone and it makes you upset sometimes, seeing what everyone else is doing. You shouldn't."
It seems we can all benefit from taking a leaf out of Elyse's book.