Natascha Cox is big news in the blogging world. With a growing following of over 85000 and collaborations with brands such as ASOS, Adidas, Next, River Island, Marks & Spencer and Urban Decay, Natascha has no plans to slow down.
Right now Natascha is working hard to promoting body confidence amongst teens –she has just been made the latest Ambassador for ‘Girls Out Loud’ which is a charity that supports and helps teenage girls to grow their confidence through various programmes such as their ‘Big Sister’ programme and ‘The Girl Code’.
Natascha took time out of her busy schedule to chat to Source about teenage memories, blogger goals and how she stays body confident.
What were you like as a teen?
A nightmare…I was a very stubborn and went to an all girls school. I really hated rules and school for that matter. It’s not that I didn’t like learning because I’m very geeky like that, it’s just that I had a huge problem with authority. Luckily I grew out of that real fast, well kind of… I still don’t like being told what to do, which is probably why I work for myself!
What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
Your parents really do know best. I am so close to my mum and dad now and often tell them that I wish I had listened to them.
Why is it important teens feel confident in their beauty – inside and out?
Going through your teenage years is hard enough as it is without feeling like you don’t look good enough or you’re not special. Hormones are literally the bane of your life at that age! It’s important to feel your worth in order to feel confident and to be able to succeed in anything you want to do. There is so much peer pressure from other teens and negative media images. To be able to stay on the right path and to say no when you’re not comfortable takes confidence in yourself.
How has blogging helped build your own confidence?
I really didn’t know how my blog was going to be received. It can be really nerve-wracking waiting to see if people like your work, especially when it’s so public. Luckily I have had an amazing response. When you start to realise that people really love your writing and pictures and brands are paying you to work with them it’s really hard not to feel a bit of an ego boost, in a good way though. There is a lot of positivity around this industry and as it’s mostly women working in blogging and PR you generally feel like you’re in a huge girl power club a lot of the time…which is amazing.
Girls feel so much pressure to look good these days and are under constant scrutiny because of social media sites – how do you deal with the pressure as a blogger?
Any pressure I feel is more coming from myself. It’s hard to believe, as I hear so much about trolling but I have only had one minor case which wasn’t actually directed at me. Obviously I blocked them straight away..lol!
I think you really have to understand that weather it’s on social media or in real life, some people are just horrible on the inside. The difference is that they feel like they can hide behind their profile picture on social media. Deal with them how you would deal with someone in real life, block them and move on. You’re still you and that’s all that matters. Not everyone is going to like you but that’s ok.
What advice would you give to girls thinking of starting up their own blog?
Try and put yourself into your posts. In order to stand out, your personality has to come through in your blog somewhere. A key factor to a successful blog is longevity. Keep going. It’s going to take time to grow but it will get there if you’re putting in the work.
How did you build up such a great following?
I just really put myself out there. I made contacts, went to events, engaged with people on social media and kept writing. I still have to do all of these things to keep where I am and it’s hard work but I love it. There is not one day where I feel like I hate my job and that’s important to be successful in anything!
What are your blogging essentials?
Laptop, camera, iPhone. I don’t go anywhere without my camera.
What’s next for you?
Oh gosh, I have a million things I would love to do. I’ve just got a new manager so I am super excited about that right now. I am able to say that I’m managed by the same people that represent Gok Wan, Linda Barker and Pearl Lowe which I think is amazing. I think that within the next two years I will be doing some sort of presenting on TV and I’ll also have my own make up or fashion collection out. That would be the dream. After that, the universe!
