It’s not every day you go from working a corporate job to being a social media star. But for content creator Remi Bader, this was her actual reality. The 26-year-old influencer, who lost her job just a little less than a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, quickly built an empire on TikTok that’s all about honesty, authenticity, and self-love. Widely known for her realistic hauls on TikTok—where she gives straight-up, no bullsh*t reviews on brands, and specifically on the plus-size clothing offerings—she has become a prominent voice for size inclusion in the fashion industry.
But there’s MUCH more to Remi that her supporters aren’t able to see in, ya know, a minute-long video or a chic Instagram pic. They don’t know the emotional behind-the-scenes stress she has to deal with and the pressure that comes with having almost two million followers. What started off as a fun lil activity that she did to pass time during the panini turned into a whole career thanks to her viral video calling out PrettyLittleThing’s sizing.
Cosmo got the chance to chat with Remi about her role in the fashion world, what it’s like being super vulnerable on the Internet, sponsored trips, her modeling career (she just signed with Muse Management, BTW!), and more below.
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Cosmo: Has a brand ever reached out to you after you called them out on a lack of size inclusivity?
Remi Bader: The [brand] hauls that I’ve kind of made fun of are ones that I actually work with now because they appreciated it and wanted the insight. Abercrombie, Free People, Revolve, and a few other brands. They appreciated the honesty and they wanted the help. And for me, anyone that wants to see change, I’m going to give it a shot.
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You were really thrust into the fashion-influencing world. Is there anything about it—whether it be the people or the brands—that has surprised you?
People ask me about when I go on Revolve trips or things like that, like, how do I not feel insecure when I might be one of the only plus-sized people? But, to be honest, it makes me feel the opposite. It actually boosts my confidence a little more to see that all these people are very supportive of wanting the industry to change as well—regardless of what their size may be.
And listen, I’m not an idiot. A lot of people say things like “They [some brands] just are using you as the token plus-sized girl because they just don’t want to look bad.” I get it. They may want to work with me or send me stuff so I don’t bash them again, but I still do the Realistic Hauls after. And just because a piece of clothing doesn’t work on me doesn’t mean it’s not going to work on anyone else.
What do you think sets you apart from every other influencer?
There are influencers out there who speak on overcoming something and then become a leader in that space because of it. I’m like, I haven’t overcome any of this, I’m going through it with you guys and you can follow along and struggle with me. And I hope we can overcome it together.
How do you block out the negativity you may get from the Internet? How do you cope with it?
It really depends. Sometimes I legitimately don’t care about the comments, and then sometimes they really get to me. A lot of my friends text me telling me to stop reading the comments, but, realistically, you’re not gonna stop. I think a reason I connect with my followers so well is that I try to respond to every comment. Positive, negative, whatever it is, I just want to connect with people.
What’s it like being vulnerable to your followers about your issues with eating and being a role model for body positivity?
I think I’ve just always been a really open person. I’m not just gonna pretend that everything’s positive every single day. I’m gonna post some of the negative too…or else my whole idea of being realistic wouldn’t be realistic.
I’ve said before that I don’t want to be called a body-positive influencer, but I don’t really care what I’m called because my content is body positive for some people. It’s affecting them in a positive way. I’m not 100 percent accepting of my body, but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna hide in my room all day and not live my life.
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Are you ever worried about backlash or showing too much?
I’m very thoughtful about everything I do. For example, in August, when I posted old videos of me from college on my Instagram, I had thought it could be inappropriate. But then I thought about the other side of it too. I want people to know the real me. When I posted that first video of me hooking up with guys people were like, “Oh my god, what?” They thought that I’d never touched a guy in my whole life and I had this whole innocent look because I talk about how I’m vulnerable and don’t want to date because of my weight like…no!
Did you ever aspire to be a model before your social media blew up?
I had always wanted to be a businesswoman in PR or marketing. And I felt like that’s what I was good at because out of college I had worked at Bravo as an assistant in PR and then after that, I worked at Tidal, in music, where I was doing partnership marketing. Modeling wasn’t something I always wanted to do until recently. My dad works in women’s jeans and he told me I should do fit modeling. I considered it because I needed to make money and it was the first time I had put music aside. And then just about two months later the whole modeling thing actually kicked off, but it wasn’t planned at all.
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What’s your favorite clothing brand and why?
I can’t really say there is *one*. I find things that I love and then I find things that I hate from different brands. That’s kind of why I do the hauls—to show that there are a lot of brands I really like. Most of the time, once I figure out my size, I can find things that I like. Right now, I’m really liking Abercrombie and American Eagle for jeans, Aerie for lounge clothes, and Good American, which is more pricey, but, love their stuff. I also shop at Target and Walmart for more affordable things.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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