What Would Aaliyah Say About Social Media and Self-Image for Young Women Today?

I think about the girls growing up right now, and it concerns me a little bit. When I was coming up, you had magazines, you had MTV, you had a few gatekeepers deciding what beauty looked like. Now every girl is her own magazine, her own gatekeeper, but also her own critic multiplied by millions. That's heavy.

The thing I always tried to do was keep it real. I wasn't trying to be everything to everybody. I wore what felt right—the baggy jeans, the fitted tees, the head wraps. Some people got it, some didn't. That was okay. But I had the luxury of not seeing every comment, every critique in real time. You all live with that now, and I think you need to be even more intentional about protecting your peace than I had to be.

Here's what I'd say: your image, your body, your face—that's not content. That's you. Treat it that way. Share what you want to share, but do it because it feels authentic, not because you're chasing a number or comparing yourself to somebody else's highlight reel. The algorithm is designed to make you feel less-than so you keep scrolling, keep posting, keep trying to be more. Don't fall into that trap.

And remember—the most magnetic thing about anyone isn't how they look in a photo. It's how they make people feel. It's their energy, their integrity, their consistency. Those things don't need filters. They don't trend. But they last. That's what I always believed in. When people remember you, they're not remembering your best angle. They're remembering how you treated them, what you stood for, whether you were real. Focus on that, and everything else will follow.