'Empowerment is a process' Patricia Bright on financial independence and living authentically online
Patricia Bright hacked the social media game long before everyone else.
For many, the 37-year-old has been a familiar face since she entered the virtual sphere in 2008, sharing relatable yet inspirational beauty and fashion content for viewers to inhale.
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Her infectious energy coupled with her valuable lifestyle hacks delivered via a warm South London accent led the Battersea-born content creator to become one of the UK’s most popular. Not only was she the first Black Youtuber to yield a million subscribers (she now has nearly three times that), but she also successfully bridged the gap between the finance and fashion world, two industries which have long been at odds with one another creatively.
Think of her like this. A multi-hyphenate beauty aficionado who effortlessly balances her girlish interests with her savvy business acumen. Safe to say, Patricia found her niche.
Which is ironic, given that she doesn’t really believe in them, "I don’t think having a niche is that valuable. I‘ve always said most of us are multi-faceted with a lot of different interests. I talk about business, accounting, budgeting and I talk about the new lipsticks and I put on my cute little outfit. I'm also a mother and I also like travelling. I’m gonna show all of that."
"I talk about business, accounting, budgeting and I talk about the new lipsticks and I put on my cute little outfit."
The mother-of-two is a human blueprint for female empowerment. Not only does she offer advice on the best foundations for women in need of a beauty zhuzh, but Patricia is also a finance whizz.
"Financial independence is one of the most important things. Having your own finances and knowing your own finances is imperative for your own security in the long run. It’s very important to know what's going on in your household, whether you have a partner or not."
She started out in the corporate world, working as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch. Her interest in fashion and beauty didn’t slot easily into her CV, "I worked in investment banking and I was always making content on the side. I was at Merrill Lynch, which was one of the biggest investment banks bought by Bank of America, and a few of the interns found my online videos. I was so embarrassed and a good friend pulled me to the side and he said to me in our industry, you cannot do things like this."
"I closed my channels down for about three months, but the pull of being a creator made me say, you know what? I don't care what you think. I put my videos back up and continued to work for seven years while making content. Today I’m like, look at me now!"
Quitting the corporate industry to focus on social media was a pivotal moment for Patricia. Describing the moment as 'embarrassing,' she fully leaned into the life of a blogger - and it paid off.
She quickly stepped into the role of the 'I SPENT' blogger, producing videos that rated shopping hauls from popular fashion brands. The series racked up over 30 million views, placing Patricia front and centre of the meta map.
"A good friend pulled me to the side and he said to me 'in our industry, you cannot do things like this.'”
Since, she has developed a plethora of platforms, such as The Break which solely focuses on finance and business, plus haircare brand UWA.
How does she stay authentically herself in a so-called surface level industry? "I think people say that it's surface level, but every content creator is an artist in their own way, right? They're coming out with new concepts to put out on their social media platforms, and they do that every day. Sometimes paid, sometimes unpaid. Continuing to come up with concepts that feel right for you and your community is the way to continue in this space."
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Patricia's harnessing of social media ahead of the curb in the 2010s was a true power move. The experience was highly empowering to the creator, who was inspired to start creating content online out of loneliness.
"I didn't have a lot of friends in the real world. I ended up meeting a lot of people on online forums, and naturally, we started connecting and creating content for each other."
"The more you build community, the more you build a network and the more you challenge yourself, the more empowered you feel. Empowerment is a process. You start to feel it over time and it accumulates."
It’s no secret that the online sphere is unforgiving. How does the viral veteran stay afloat in the face of adversity? "I’ve had to develop a thicker skin over time. But the internet has a short memory and don’t let one or two negative comments stop something that you know is meant to be for you. Push past the pain."
"Empowerment is a process. You start to feel it over time and it accumulates."
And push she does. Patricia often credits parents, both of whom were first generation Nigerian immigrants, for her hard-working ethos. No doubt her corporate background had a part to play in this too.
A self-professed "pro-productivity obsessive," social media mogul and business owner, she cherishes time away from screens, "It’s hard to function at a high level if your brain isn't in the right place. Personally, I make sure I take time out on Sundays. I go to church, I try to meditate and pray in the mornings, and I go on a walk every morning and get a coffee. That for me is self-care."
In essence, Patricia had successfully fused the role of ‘Trad Wife’ and ‘Corporate Girly.’ "I could be considered a Trad Wife. I’ve been married for twelve years. I have two children. I’m a homeowner. My husband works. But, this glamorisation of something that’s not very realistic as someone who has lived it is a little bit scary. I love the values of marriage and leaning into femininity, but this concept that we all have to be one way and have to bake from scratch puts pressure on people. Female paths don’t all have to be the same."
"I could be considered a Trad Wife. I’ve been married for twelve years. I have two children. I’m a homeowner. My husband works."
As someone who has such a large social platform, does she feel like content creators like herself have a role to play in promoting positive female representation in the media?
"I don’t think they have any responsibility. They're all human beings. They all have their own challenges. Some of them have families. Some of them have businesses. Some of them have their own battles that they are dealing with. So I think their job is to really do best by themselves and then live authentically so that others can see that they're imperfect."
"Female paths don’t all have to be the same."
Imperfections may have sparsely dotted Patricia’s fruitful career, yet she continues to flourish as an all-round agony aunt in the space between tax and lipgloss, "We're all just humans, and we're all just existing and, you know, influencer or not, female or not, you just have to live as the best version of yourself as a human being."
