YouTuber Alexa Losey Talks Overcoming Bullies in School and Online
You may know Alexa Losey best from her YouTube channel, but this actress has many other shows up her sleeve.
One of her projects includes Campus Catwalk, a New Form show created by Friends' actress Lisa Kudrow, otherwise known as Phoebe Buffay.
We caught up with Alexa to talk about her past experiences with bullying and how those teen years affected her career, in many ways for the better.
Whether or not you're dealing with put-downs by bullies, everyone will sigh a breath of relief over this YouTuber's advice:
Sweety High: What made you decide to open up on YouTube back in October about your past insecurities and anxieties?
Alexa Losey: It was something I dealt with and it's something that's just so close to my heart so I felt called to do it. It was like, "Okay cool, I have an audience and I have a voice and I have an experience that I've gone through and I have a lot of knowledge about it," so it just seemed like it would be a disservice to myself and other people if I didn't talk about it. My friends know that I'm the go-to person to talk to if you're having issues so I'm already that person for my friend group.
I didn't really know what would come of it. A lot of crazy things have come from it that I didn't think would happen. A lot of things in my personal life, a lot of people came to me who were the last people I would expect to have issues with anxiety. So many more people than I ever thought are dealing with this, so why would I not be a voice. If I can, why would I not? So my platform and how I view everything that goes up on YouTube always has that included, either in the back of my channel or incorporated in monthly content.
SH: You mentioned in your video that you were bullied in middle school. What's interesting about using YouTube as a platform is that you have a different version of bullies in cyberbullies and trolls. Did your past experiences make it easier to ignore online trolls you encounter on YouTube?
AL: Yeah I think because I've dealt with people putting me down for just being who I was at a young age, I developed a really thick skin. I was really young when I started YouTube so I would get comments and they would really upset me but eventually I just got to an age where things don't affect me. People say really horrible things to me every day and I'm just like, 'Okay, who are you?' Every now and then there's that one comment that sets you off because it's something that you think about yourself, you're already insecure about it or aware of it and so when someone comments on it you're like, 'Omg, omg they're onto it, they know!'
SH: How do you deal with the comments that get to you?
AL: I talk to my friends. I also journal every day so if there's a comment that really upsets me I'll just write it out. That was also something that I did when I was being bullied in middle school. I would just write and feel the feelings and cry about it and be upset about it, and I think that's the thing, if you're being bullied don't show them that they're bullying you but let yourself go through feeling that way. You shouldn't feel ashamed for feeling that way. Someone was mean to you, you're supposed to feel upset about it. So now, usually the comments don't affect me but when they do I write about it, I talk to people about it and just feel it out and eventually it leaves my mind.
SH: How do you think your past experiences have affected your current career or the content that you decide to share on your channel?
AL: Recently an offer we got really conflicted with something that I'm very aware of and very against, and we had to reconstruct things and eventually kind of say no to it just because, even though it would have furthered my acting career, it wasn't something I could stand behind. But as far as YouTube it's been a really positive thing. Originally I think people were drawn to YouTube because it was a place where kids who didn't have a lot of friends could connect and feel connected to something, and I think it's lost the essence of that. I think it's been good because a lot of people have found the strength to talk about it and I think it's brought YouTube back to what it used to be, at least for myself, and I've been really critical of what I post and what I don't post.
SH: What advice do you have for other people experiencing similar insecurities as you went through in your past?
AL: I think the best advice I would give is that as you get older it doesn't bother you anymore. You get to an age where you're like, 'Wow, I'm okay with this about myself, somebody used to say this about me and I'm not insecure about it anymore.' I would tell a 14 year old who's being bullied, tough it out and it's going to feel horrible but I promise you, if you're getting bullied it means you're unique and there's something special about you and there's something someone sees in you that they're threatened by or they're angry at themselves.
Getting bullied has absolutely nothing to do with you, it has everything to do with the other people. And you will get to an age where you are going to be able to use all of those amazing abilities that you were being bullied for and it's going to change your life. The day you graduate high school is the day that popularity and prom queen and all of that doesn't matter anymore. That's the most true statement ever. Just focus on yourself and do whatever you're passionate about, whatever you're excited about, no matter what people think. Even if you're getting made fun of for it, do it, because eventually it's going to pay off.
SH: Can you tell us a little bit about your new show Campus Catwalk and how it ties in with your past?
AL: Yeah, we just got done filming and that's a cool project because the whole thing is about bullying but in the college world. So it's a girl who's just being herself and embracing her heritage. My character basically helps her stand up for herself, but then there's ties to other things. It was cool to play a character who has a lot of privilege in a sense but uses that to help someone else. It's a cool project, the characters are really rich and it touches on a lot of things that are really important.
If insecurities and bullies have you feeling down, click HERE to read all of the amazing things that happen when you're not affect by others' perceptions of you.