By Steven Vickerie
Social media influencers are often the centre of attention on various platforms due to their creative content and unique abilities to increase viewership. But what happens when fame gets the best of these influencers? They tend to fall into the same trap of being mere clout seekers and sometimes pay a terrible price for being popular.
Despite having to face her own trials and misfortunes in this regard, social media personality Lolita Calendar, popularly known as “Lola Doll”, says she has learned valuable lessons about the good, bad, and ugly of using social media.
Lola is no stranger to Guyanese on social media and in the Diaspora. She quickly rose to fame after establishing herself as one of the most talented and sought after Make Up Artists (MUA). But as her exposure grew exponentially, so did her business and soon after, her life became a nightmare. She found herself in constant feuds with her followers and other MUAs.
Lola has faced assault and cyber bullying charges, and even landed in jail abroad. She said there were many who prayed for her downfall, but according to her, while for many, fame and fortune had ended for her; it was only the beginning.
A PRODUCT OF THE “GHETTO”
Lola told Guyana Standard that she was born and partially raised in Leopold Street, Georgetown. She explained that her while her mother was pregnant with her, she abused drugs. Lola said that her mother continued to do so after she was born and still abuses drugs to this day. However, she explained that sometime after the situation became unbearable, it was her father who decided to relocate her to the East Ruimveldt district.
“It was like moving from one ghetto to the other. East Ruimveldt in itself was different from Leopold Street but it was the same ghetto. We had really humble beginnings. We had a real struggle and that is what pushed me to become successful because I know what it is to not have and I promised myself that I would never want to go back there,” Lola said.
But as she got older, Lola found herself becoming a teenage mother. She told this publication that her father had earlier migrated abroad for a better life, but because of her situation, she eventually moved back to Leopold Street with the father of her child.
Lola spoke about the struggle of being a young mother, and facing abuse by the hands of her then boyfriend. “I was around 16, 17 when I got pregnant and I moved in with my child’s father but after sometime he became very abusive. I couldn’t handle it anymore so I decided to run. I left my child with his parents and I migrated to find a better life,” she said. Lola eventually found a passion for business and soon became a MUA.
THE PRICE OF FAME
Lola told Guyana Standard that she returned to Guyana, years after running from an abusive relationship with her then boyfriend. She said her focus was to bring the same level of artistry that she learned abroad to Guyana and it quickly caught on.
Using social media, Lola not only gained clients, but according to her, attracted “enemies and haters” online. Soon after, Lola spent many hours on social media going live to address many who criticized her work, especially other MUAs.
The clout eventually caught on, and one particular feud between herself and another make-up artist gained national attention. That make-up artist not only criticized her work, but also made claims about her body enhancements among other things. The feud became so heated that the two were engaged in a brawl that was caught on camera.
Lola was eventually charged for assault and ordered to pay $800,000 in “edges damages” to the victim. After spending over a million dollars in court appearances and paying for damages, she decided to leave Guyana again. She explained that the negativity became too much for her and as such, she decided to leave in an effort to rebrand and to also reevaluate herself.
Looking back at that period of her life, she told this publication that while influencers cannot control what people say online, it is important to be mature when dealing with those who go out of their way to offend public figures.
“I probably would have taken my own life had I not had thick skin. You have to be confident in what you are branding or promoting. Most importantly, not every time someone says something to you it means you have to respond. Do not give them that attention. I’ve learned that the hard way,” Lola said.
LESSONS LEARNED
With every trial and testing circumstance, one can often look back and learn a valuable lesson about the consequences of immature actions. Newton’s law of motion outlines that “with every action, there’s an equal or opposite reaction”.
According to Lola, she returned to Guyana with a different mindset of being more focused on business and the overall effort to rebrand herself and image. She noted that while she regretted most of what occurred during her time on social media, she learned a valuable lesson about maturity.
“Looking back at everything, I sometimes wish I would just leave the comments and be the bigger person in those situations. While I know that those bad things are still associated with my name and brand, I try everyday to be different and approach those situations now differently,” Lola said.
She continued, “I know I acted very immature back then and people will have all sorts of things to say, but where I grew up, that’s how you deal with situations. You had to deal with the issue right there and then. It cost me a lot but I have learned my lesson about social media. My only aim now is to be better business woman and try to create a better image on social media. But like any change it’s a process.”
Lola told this publication that with her new approach to her life and social media presence, she has seen changes to not only her business but also the negativity which once plagued her. She noted that her focus has been on business and expanding her broad to cater for not only beauty but also fashion.
She concluded that Guyanese can expect more from her in the coming months, as she now focusing on rebranding herself. “I honestly can say that business is even better. I created a new social media page and I post content that is strictly aimed at expanding my business. I’ve now expanded to fashion because I believe a look is not just about make up, but it’s the entire package, clothing, and it’s recieved a good reaction from the public. I believe too, and I say this again, that change is a process in itself and I am using what I went through very young and even the bad things that are still associated with my name to be a better person.”
She encouraged other influencers and even people using social media to not engage with online feuds, especially since there are consequences associated with immature behavior. Lola added that while every influencer is different, she implored persons to use their platforms to promote brands and interests that can generate income or spark interest in meaningful discussions.
