Daily Inspiration: Meet Alexis French

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis French

Hi Alexis, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up surrounded by fiction books, American Girl dolls, Barbies, and coloring books. When I was bored, or none of my friends could come over, I’d sit at our family computer and draft up (short) stories about whatever came to my young mind. I liked making clay sculptures and playing with chalk outside. Whenever an opportunity to create something presented itself, I was immediately enthralled. In elementary school, I had a phase where I was in love with reborn dolls (the dolls that look exactly like real babies). My childhood best friend and I shared this hobby, and we both started our own YouTube channels to make videos about our own dolls. This experience of joining a new community, even so young, and having even the slightest bit of a platform was something I quickly started to love. When I made my Instagram account for the first time in 2013, I was so excited to be a part of something so new and exclusive, even as a kid. My first post was a selfie, and I remember exactly what it was too: I was laying on our carpeted living room floor and smiling happily. Some time between middle school and high school I found myself interested in using the digital space to create, even though I didn’t realize at the time that that’s what I was doing. I would spend hours making video edits of my favorite celebrities and social media stars and using PhotoShop-esque apps to edit scrapbook-type collages and photos of whatever it was that interested me. I started to find inspiration in so many different places on social media; YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter… the list goes on. It wasn’t until after I graduated high school that I began to feel confident enough to use my social media for me; up until this point, the hours I’d spend editing something would be of somebody famous (or of New York City. I’ve been completely infatuated with NYC since about 7th grade, and I can’t quite explain why). TikTok came around and that was a whole new avenue of inspiration for me, one that I feel comfortable giving a significant amount of credit. I enjoyed the way it gave you the ability to peek into somebody else’s mind in such a creative way, and that is the main reason I still use it so much years later. There came a point, around 2020-ish, when I noticed how creators started to post (seemingly) mundane aspects of their life; instead of full-body model shots, it’d be a picture of a book, or a quote, or a sign on a street. This was a turning point for me. I realized that I didn’t need to be born in a great big city or have a giant closet full of clothes to have a voice — I just needed to be me. I started posting little bits of my life and opening up about more vulnerable things to my followers (who, for a while, were really just my friends and people I went to high school with). One day, in February of 2021, bored and stuck in the house because of COVID, I created my blog, her glow. I wanted a space where I could publicly write my thoughts and my opinions about the things that matter most to me: wellness, growth, and navigating my 20s. My first few articles were more centered around body image, which is something I personally struggled with for pretty much all of my life. When I wanted a more light-hearted piece, I wrote about my favorite products or seasonal essentials. At the end of 2021, I moved to Bowling Green, Ohio, to pursue a degree in Marketing, and that’s when I started to write and talk about college life, as well. I was learning and experiencing so much away at college, and I used my blog and my social media as a platform to share what was going on. I had a few different girls reach out to me through DM at this time to let me know that my articles actually helped them, and that they found comfort in my content. My blog also (accidentally) landed me a job as a Graphic Designer for the College of Business, which happened when I initially interviewed for an Office Assistant position but my supervisor (at the time) asked me about my blog and was extremely impressed when she clicked around it. A few days after my interview, she called and asked if I was interested in being hired in as a Graphic Designer. Of course, jumping up and down in my college dorm room, I said yes, and that decision propelled me into a whole new world of opportunities. A year after starting there, I landed a job in another department on campus as a Graphic Design & Multimedia Specialist. Though I had no actual professional or academic experience as a Graphic Designer, I had no idea that my passions growing up were actually preparing me for these roles. This period of time in my life deepened my love for creating, and not to mention, I had never felt so confident in my skills and natural abilities. During my second year of college, I wanted to get back to writing, and I also wanted so badly to join a group on campus and be a part of a community. I found Her Campus, which is an online media publication for Gen Z, by Gen Z, and has chapters at colleges across the globe. Our Bowling Green chapter was small when I joined, but I didn’t care, because I was surrounded by other women and I was given another opportunity to share my stories, aside from my own blog. By the end of that school year, our Chapter Presidents at the time had made an announcement that they were leaving the organization the following year, which meant they were on the lookout for two new Chapter Presidents. I applied, and to my surprise, I got it, along with another girl who ended up being one of my closest college friends. The organization meant so much to me, especially my last year of college. Prior to this experience, I had never led any group, let alone a college organization, and I had no idea what was in store for me. I was so worried that I wouldn’t do a good job, or I’d slack off, or the other members wouldn’t like me. I also knew that this included some degree of public speaking, which is the one thing that used to make me feel nauseous & sweaty in middle and high school. There were so many things I considered that I knew I’d have to experience for the first time, and as scared as I was, I did it anyway. Looking back, I’m so glad I did. Before the start of my last year of college, our organization had about 12 members, and by the time I graduated, we were at about 40, half of which were consistently coming to meetings and participating. I fell in love with working with all of the girls, reading their articles, preparing for meetings, planning events, and most of all, seeing first-hand the excitement and passion our members felt about the organization. It filled my cup in a way that nothing had before, and it showed me how much I value a strong, close-knit community of women that share similar hobbies and passions. During this time, I also started building my TikTok platform, and using it to talk about literally anything and everything going on in my head and in my life. I decided that if I was going to have a platform, at least one of a micro-influencer, I was going to use it to share my experiences and support other women who do the same. There’s something so compelling and powerful about the different communities on social media, especially the ones that foster vulnerability, self-love, and growth. The things I post aren’t earth-shattering or life-changing, but they’re real, and they’re all me. I didn’t think my content really mattered until this past year, when I had a few different instances where I got approached while out on my college town. My username, on virtually everything, @pastaluvr222- isn’t hard to remember, and I chose it that way specifically during my first year of university. I knew that building a platform required some sort of marketing of myself on my end, and that started with my own personal brand. Thus, pastaluvr was born. Multiple times I’d be at a bar with my friends and I’d hear somebody excitedly yell “pastaluvr!” or a girl in the bathroom would ask me, “are you pastaluvr?” and my friends and I would look at each other and share an expression of pure shock. Of course, being recognized in Bowling Green Ohio isn’t necessarily a Studio 54 moment, but it still made my entire day, nonetheless. After recognizing me, they’d compliment my content or tell me they loved me so much (usually they were a few drinks in, I mean, we were at the bars). One time, during one of our last few visits to the bar after we graduated, my best friend and I were making our way through one of our spots when I was stopped by a girl I didn’t recognize. She was a little tipsy, I could tell, but she recognized me from Instagram and started gushing about my content. I ALWAYS appreciated this, and honestly, I don’t think I’d ever get tired of that. She went on to explain how the night she found my account happened to be the same night she was feeling really depressed. My photo was on her Instagram explore page and she told me that she went through my account and it made her feel better, to the point where it helped her get through her evening. After thanking her for telling me this countless times, and letting her know that she’s always welcome to message me, I met back up with my friend and started bawling my eyes out. That was the first time that I realized my content actually meant something to people, outside of just being the surface-level inspiration I thought it was for so long. A few minutes later, while I was still crying, another girl I didn’t recognize walked past me and recognized me as well, shouting “oh my gosh, pastaluvr!” making me cry even harder. I can’t explain this feeling, other than an immense amount of appreciation for the women around me and for me — for allowing myself to be vulnerable finally, even when I felt like people didn’t get it or when I was so scared they’d judge me. Now, I’m back home in Michigan, and while I’m still in this transition into post-grad life, I’ve been putting a lot of focus and energy into my different platforms. I didn’t want to leave Her Campus all together when I graduated, so I applied to be a part of the National Writers Program which allows college students and post-grad students (of up to 2 years) to write for the national Her Campus website. Instead of writing under the Bowling Green chapter, you can now find me in the Wellness section, writing about everything from physical and mental health to sex and relationships. My plan for the future is to keep creating — whatever that may look like for me, and using what I create to inspire others and build a community for people to find comfort and solace in. We’re all just experiencing life at the end of the day, and I think using social media to share our stories gives us the opportunity to learn from each other and the space to grow next to one another.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not all of it. I dealt with some serious mental health struggles my first few years of college, mostly due to the relationship I was in at the time. I was heartbroken for a while and because I was already using my platforms to share my experiences, I also talked a lot about this part of my life while I was in the middle of going through it. There was a period of time, especially at the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023, when I spent so much time alone that I actually had to force myself to start hanging out with my friends and accepting invites. During this period of solitude I learned a lot about myself and my needs, as well as everything I can do to meet them for myself. As difficult as it was, looking back now I know it was probably one of the most important periods of growth for me this far in my life. Before this time, I was co-dependent and insecure. It affected my relationship and my mental health too. By the end of 2023, I actually preferred my own company, and I found so much beauty in just appreciating my own space.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a lifestyle content creator on social media known for speaking up on mental health, relationships, self-love, and body image. What I’m most proud of is how well I’ve been able to convey my personality and what matters most to me over social media — in a way that accurately portrays who I am in real life. I’m proud of my content that has allowed other women to feel less alone and heard. In my opinion, what sets me apart is my experiences and where I come from. I grew up in a small town as the girl who was always the “chubby” one in the class, and that alone is enough to give you lots to talk about. Aside from that, I’m extremely empathetic, and as much as it can get in the way sometimes, I’ve found that channeling it into my creations on social media has allowed me to connect with people across the world. Not to mention, in my opinion, I have a pretty good sense of humor, and I think a lot of my followers appreciate that about me as well (including my mom).

What matters most to you?
Family. Period. The most support I’ve gotten in my life has been from my family, and more specifically, my parents and my younger brother. One of my biggest goals by the end of my life is to have taken care of my parents financially, especially since they have gone over and beyond for me and my brother our entire lives. I’ve always said that I would fight for my family, even though I am the most non-confrontational Aries to exist, and I mean it. When I graduated college, I dedicated the design of my cap to my parents, because without their support I wouldn’t have made it through those three years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://her-glow.us/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pastaluvr222?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@pastaluvr222
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@pastaluvrr222