Check Out Makayla Smith’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Makayla Smith.

Hi Makayla, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always loved being creative – writing, filming videos, performing, and telling stories. However, I often felt like I needed to distract away from my size – focusing instead on things like being known as funny, being smart, etc. The loss of someone close to me in 2022 made me realize how silly it was to let insecurities stop me from chasing what I want. Life is limited, and we shouldn’t waste time letting our fears about others’ opinions hold us back.

I finally decided to try creating content that boldly addressed my appearance instead – sharing plus size fashion finds and fails, talking about relatable plus size struggles, and encouraging women of all sizes to embrace their ever-changing bodies. Now, I continue to use my platforms to encourage others, share my dance and modeling journeys, and to talk about things I find interesting!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As any woman who posts online encounters, I’ve faced my fair share of online hate. The better content does, the more hate it tends to draw in. It’s important to remember, though, that people don’t punch down – only up. No one leaving anonymous hate online is fully happy in their own lives.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love getting to be a part of a wide range of creative endeavors! I adore getting to create content online via YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok – connecting with an audience that I seek to encourage, entertain, and inspire. I share plus size fashion inspo, my journey rediscovering dance as an adult, modeling work, life in LA, and more. I’ve also been having a blast experimenting with other topics I find interesting in my longer YouTube videos.

“Offline” I do some work on the other side of influencer PR as a freelance public relations assistant, as well as some content management for a 25M+ subscriber YouTuber. Previously, I’ve worked with names like NBC, Universal TV, Lionsgate, Warner Bros., and YouTube Red.

My diversity of experiences and skills come together to shape me into someone I’m proud to be. I think I’m most proud of knowing that my content online can be an encouragement to others – leading them to wear the outfit, go to the audition, or even simply to have a better day than they were before.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think social media is volatile right now due to the major changes we’ve seen in the last few years, especially with the recent temporary ban of TikTok. It’s a reminder of how fragile these platforms can be, and how quickly we can lose our online voice. That being said, I’m still excited about some of the changes and evolution that is growing on other platforms. YouTube has been pouring more and more attention into their Shorts, which I find interesting. New things like AI-generated audio dubbing on YouTube videos can open doors to connect with new audiences and provide a more inclusive experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bit.ly/itsMakaylaSmithLinks
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsmakaylasmith/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@itsMakaylaSmith
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsmakaylasmith

Image Credits
Sabrina Kelley, Evan Allen, Kayla Dawn Davis, Powell Browne, Sierra Stoltzfus