Rhianne Grieve – Influencer by chance

Meet Rhianne Grieve,  a 24 years old model from Scotland. Rhianne lives in Dundee with her young daughter. For the past year, she has been successfully growing her social media audience. She absolutely loves being in the centre of attention and does not lack self-confidence. Her loud and bubbly personality does not go unnoticed – brands are queueing to work with Rhianne. What is the secret of her success? How did she get to where she is today? Give this article a read, and find out. And make sure you follow Rhianne on Insta! (@rhiannegrievexx)

Leaders: Tell us your story… how did your social media journey start?
RG: I never, not once thought I would be where I am today. I was casually running my social media account, when I got scauted by a well known photographer back in 2019. He saw my pictures on Instagram, and became really interested in doing a photoshoot with me. I agreed, and this is how it all started!

Leaders: Was it always your dream to become an influencer?
RG: No. I never thought I would get this far with my social media and modelling. My life has changed significantly in the past 3 years. Posting on my account, I did not really think much of it. Becoming bigger and making a living out of it never even crossed my mind. It all just happened for me!

Leaders: What do you like, and what do you dislike about your job?
RG: I love that I get to interact with people from all different backgrounds both on,  and outside social media. Through my modelling, I met some amazing people who, I am sure, are going to be my lifelong friends. I keep in touch with everyone I ever collaborated with. I am creating a great network. The thing I dislike about social media is how time consuming it is… It really does take up a lot of your time. Before you know it, half of the day is gone. It is always beneficial to take a step back for a while and enjoy the real life outside. I am also not a fan of some of the comments about my modelling  I receive from both males and females, but sometimes you need to take bad with the good!

Leaders: What, in your opinion, is your biggest accomplishment so far?
RG: My biggest accomplishment, apart from having my beautiful daughter, has to be the time when I got through to the finals of Miss Swimsuit UK 2021. I could not believe that I got picked to be the ‘wild card’. I did not make the win, but getting into the finals was a big deal for me. I remember being really proud of myself. Another huge accomplishment of mine was making my way to the finals of the  UK Girls Calendar 2022.

Leaders: Career wise, what are your future plans?
RG: I really do love what I do both in modelling and social media, but I do not see myself doing this forever. My passion for modelling will always stay with me, but my main goal in life is being able to help other young parents, and young people in general. I plan to start a group for young families and people, to meet, socialise and open up to each other. I dream of creating a safe space, where everyone can feel a sense of belonging. I want people there to be equal. I strive to remind people that they are never alone, there is always help available.

Leaders: What is your biggest dream?
RG: My biggest dream came true the day I gave birth to my daughter. My second big dream would be moving out to a beautiful country one day. I was born and raised in Dundee, Scotland. I like it here, but I know deep in my heart that I will make the move one day! I haven’t decided on the location yet… I am sure it will come to me when I am ready for it.

Leaders: Take us through your typical day of work
RG: My life is literally always on the move. If I am not on social media, reading e-mails, working on my collaborations or planning my next photoshoot or competition, you will find me in my workshop, where I make garments forr myself and my daughter.  I absolutely love creating new items. It helps me escape the reality for a moment and I find it very therapeutic.

Leaders: In what ways has your life changed since you got noticed on social media?
RG: After I did my first photoshoot, my life slowly started to fall into place. Seeing the outcome of the shoot made me realise how much of a talented model I actually was. I could not believe my eyes! I posted some of the pictures on my Intagram – and it opened the doors to more coolaborations with other photographers. I featured in a magazine called Pge7 after only one year of working. I think it really is something to be proud of. It is hard to describe the feeling of excitement when you are looking at yourself in a magazine! It has improved my self-confidence big time, so I decided to apply for Miss Swimsuit 2021 and happily, I got accepted. I was really nervous to travel out of Scotland even though it was only a journey to England. I knew I was going to compete against all the stunning women, and I was not fully sure weather I could make it. When I got to the place, I remember it being full of positivity and overall good energy. I felt really comfortable from the very beginning and I instantly became good friends with other contestants. Later on, when I got picked to come back for the finals, I got another big confidence boost. There was so many wonderful people at the event, it enabled me to network and get my name and face more out there. Since that event, I have been getting e-mails and messages nearly every single day. All the collaborations are very different, so it does not get boring. I am truly enjoying my life right now.

Leaders: What is it like being an infulencer?
RG: I do not really class myself as an influencer, as it was never something I intended to do. My success comes mostly from networking and meeting new people both online, and in person. I often get messages from small brands on social media, offering me a collaboration. It could be anything from makeup products to gym clothing. It is extremely time consuming and frustraing at times. You need to take care of of the right angles, right lighting, edit the post. I take lots of pictrues and videos to make sure I can choose the ideal one for the brand I work with at the time.

Leaders: Do you have any advice for people who dream of becoming big on social media?
RG: Always remember that there are two sides of the coin. There is many downsides to social media and you should be aware of them. You will have to take both the bad and the good. Never let things get to you personally, and as soon as you feel that things get a little overwhelming, I suggest taking a break. It is really imporant to keep the balance between social media and reality.

OLIVIA SZEIB