Today we’d like to introduce you to Kody Desmond.
Hi Kody, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
During the pandemic, I found myself constantly scrolling on TikTok and other social media platforms,admiring creators that found a way to make money during a time when most people were struggling to find work. A few months into my constant scrolling I had a random thought that would alter the scope of my life forever: “Why can’t I just do this too?” After this initial thought, I started posting regularly on TikTok and gained a small following. After a month, I gained just above one hundred and fifty thousand followers. Throughout the rest of the pandemic and up until now, I have consistently posted on TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Since my initial launch on social media, I have amassed around eight hundred thousand followers across all three of these platforms. I have since used my following to spread awareness for the LGBTQ+ community, and for mental health, by sharing impactful posts I see online and talking with people that reach out to me by directing them to resources I have used and that have worked for me. For me, I was able to accept myself and come out as an openly gay creator. I want all my followers and fans to feel like my socials are a free space to openly express themselves and hopefully to see me as a role model they can look up to.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Some of the struggles I have faced growing up was bullying from my peers and not being fully accepted by my parents. From junior high up until now, I have been bullied for primarily three reasons: “You are too gay, your voice is too feminine, and you’re too skinny and need to eat.” These are the statements I have constantly heard and still continue to hear to this day from my peers. However, I have learned to turned these hurtful phrases into motivation to fully embrace who I am in the environment I surround myself. Now, I completely embrace how I dress, talk, and I even work out most weeks about five times. As for my parents, they have still not come to full terms with my full sexuality and my job as an influencer. As much as I love them, I still do not understand their difficulty to welcome who I am with open arms. Although these things have been major bumps in the road for me up until today, I use all this discontent as motivation to work harder.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The majority of my more popular content surrounds the LGBTQ+ community, especially my coming out video, which was a huge part of my social media journey. My coming-out video also amassed just under seven million views. I also specialize in fashion content. I enjoy making “get ready with me (grwm)” videos, and these tend to get really good engagement. I also enjoy posting traveling content which also helps me show more of my life behind the scenes with my followers. Additionally, being a social media influencer has helped me as a whole by encouraging me to make more content where I am able to embrace my true self.
One of the decisions I made that I am most proud of is taking the steps to move out of my childhood home. I want to create an environment that will keep me motivated to work harder and finally grow as my own person. By going out on my own, I’m learning to show more of my personality without the constraints of being “stuck” at home.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
It would be remiss of me not to admit that my social media journey incurred some luck. A lot of creators that I see on my pages that post similar content to me do not have the same social media size and impact that I do. I am lucky enough and endlessly thankful to all my fans and supporters that allow me to have this type of platform. Additionally, I like to help smaller creators grow their accounts by reposting their content on my stories and promoting their content if it aligns with my views on mental health and overcoming bullying. I have also been lucky enough to now have friends and peers around me that encourage me to film and post content every day, which is new for me. I have not always had this support and it has completely changed my views on work and posting more frequently.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kodydesmondd/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@kodydesmondd
Image Credits
Kevin Roldan
Kody Desmond
