Miranda Rae gets candid on her mental health journey and colourful 'hair dancing' beginnings

Life is often full of ups and downs for all of us. Still, when it comes to pressing the ‘share’ button on social media, it is typically only the good parts we divulge – particularly with the societal pressures we face nowadays, comparing ourselves to others on our feed, combined with editing tools and filters at our fingertips.

TikTok star Miranda Rae seeks to break this mould by encouraging authenticity and vulnerability online through her own videos as she chronicles her real and unfiltered life, everything from her constantly changing hair transformations to being open about her mental health and eating disorder journey.

When it comes to mental health, one in three report symptoms indicating that they have experienced a common mental health problem such as anxiety or depression, as per research from theResolution Foundation think tank. A study by the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics also found that 22 per cent reported that children and adolescents showed disordered eating, making discussions around these matters even more vital.

With more than 8 million followers on social media, it’s clear that Miranda’s unfiltered content has struck a chord with audiences online, and the 22-year-old spoke to Indy100 about her rise to fame as well as the importance of using her platform for good.

What first encouraged you to post online, and how did you cultivate your platform?

“I started posting YouTube videos initially when I was in high school, I think my junior year, because I was going through a tough time, and I started watching Emma Chamberlain, the Dolan twins and James Charles - that whole era of the “Sister Squad” and everything. I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is so fun. I want to do this.'

"Initially, I was in a hard place so when I would watch those videos, they would make me feel a lot better. And I thought ‘Oh I want to create videos to help people, feel better’ like how these people have done for me. So that's initially why I started.”

The creator recalled how she would post on YouTube "consistently" and it would get 100 views. "No one was really seeing my videos, but I still had so much fun making these silly videos for my 20 subscribers to see."

Since then, you have built a big following on platforms such as TikTok, was there a particular video that caused you to go viral?

“So I initially on Tiktok started with making comedy videos that weren't really going anywhere and I was like, ‘Okay, something is going wrong, because either these people don't know what comedy is because I am funny, or I am delusional and I am actually not funny’.”

Miranda added that she needed to “switch it up” and “do something different” and at this time it just so happened that the viral dance to Doja Cat’s hit 'Say So' had just come out.

Therefore, Miranda wanted to join in on the trend but admitted she is a “terrible dancer,” as she elaborated “if I just post a video of me doing the say so dance, I'm gonna flop because I'm a horrible dancer.”

At this moment, she happened to remember some helpful advice from the TV show Glee (which Miranda was “very much obsessed with”) on how you can “use hair to distract from your bad dance moves,” along with people complimenting her the blue strips in hair is when Miranda decided “hair dancing” was the way to go.

“I'm just gonna make a slow motion and flip my hair during the dance, and hopefully people will be distracted by my gorgeous hair instead of my horrible dance moves,” she explained.

“That video was my first video to go really, really, really viral, and I was known as, like, the ‘slow mo girl’ for years, and that's what I would do. I would like do dances and flip my hair and put it in slow motion and change the color of my hair.”

You're always changing up your hair colour, what has been your favourite colour so far?

"I always circle back to blue and pink for some reason, I think that they suit my complexion best. Also, I've noticed that I can wear whatever colour clothing, I'm not restricted to a colour, style or aesthetic," as she noted how colourful hair can be difficult due to it clashing with an outfit.

"From what I've had a specific time, my favourite hair colour has been my pink balayage back in February. I felt so cool. I got so many compliments. When people look at you and they notice your hair."

But what hair colour is Miranda going to dye her hair next?

"I'm planning on dyeing my whole pink, which I've never done one solid colourful colour as I haven't been able to fully commit," she revealed

Have you ever taken hair colour requests from your followers?

"I think my natural era was inspired by my followers. Everyone was like, 'Miranda, okay. Quit with the colours like, maybe try to, have some hair that makes you look a little older,' because I struggle with looking 14 all the time," Miranda joked

You've been honest online about your mental health and eating disorder journey, what encouraged you to be open with your audience about this aspect of your life?"

Miranda was influenced by the creators she grew up watching (the likes of Emma Chamberlain and the Dolan twins, as previously mentioned).

"They were always so candid about what they were going through. It made me feel so much more closer to them one, but also less alone," she said of them.

"So I always told myself... that would be a goal of mine - to be open about what I'm going through, because I've always struggled with mental health growing up.

"Being hush and quiet about it wasn't the best idea, and me being open and sharing my struggles could really help someone like how Emma Chamberlain helped me. That's what really inspired me to be open about it."

What has the response from your followers been like?

"The response has been really great," Miranda said. "I get DM's of people saying that I've really helped them feel less alone."

The influencer then recalled a touching encounter she had with one of her fans in person, saying: "One time I went to a concert and this wrote me a note, and it made me cry, and it was just basically telling me how I really helped her in her recovery with her eating disorder.

"That's always been my main goal with making videos and everything. So the fact that I'm accomplishing that makes me feel really, really good."

As a content creator with a large platform, how do you look after your own mental health?

"I think that realizing when I need to take a break is important. I don't like to take breaks for too long, but I do if I really need it I will take a step away from the internet and my phone and from filming to kind of work on myself."

She continued: "Being open has its benefits, but also if I'm not in a good enough place to do it then I feel it'll be counteractive. So I think, taking a break when I need to, and coming back better is important for my mental health."

What advice would you give to your younger self?

"I think one of the main things I would tell my younger self is, everything feels so permanent when you're younger. If you have a bully that's bothering you in school, and you feel like the world is ending, or a test really hard, and you feel like you're gonna fail it, it's so permanent, but in a month, you won't even remember those things.

"So to really tell my younger self, try not to dwell too much on what's going on right now, because things will get better," Miranda concluded.

Looking ahead, what are your hopes for the future?

Right now, Miranda is looking to "grow as much as possible".

"I'm kind of just going with the flow," she explained. "I've been enjoying everyone embracing me with open arms. It's been really amazing. I think the main thing is just continuing to impact people with my videos and build a close bond with my audience and my followers.

"My main goal is to continue doing that."

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