Behind The Screens: Halley Elefante

 

THE ANTI-INFLUENCER

Rebel//Feb 2018

 

WHAT IS THE SALTY BLONDE?

I still can’t answer this. Do you know how douchey it sounds to tell someone that you're an online influencer?

 

HOW DID YOU BEGIN?

I started it as a hobby to hopefully get some free clothes. I was broke, bored, and had no friends in Hawaii yet, so I figured I’d start a secret account and give it a shot. I styled all of my old clothes together, put the self timer on, posed like an asshole, and captioned the images with exactly how I would talk with my friends back home. Never once did I think it would become my full-time job.

 

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN INTO FASHION, BEACHES,& BEERS?

When I was little I would dress up as Cindy Lauper, Madonna, or the girls from the ZZ Top video, She's Got Legs, which in hindsight was highly inappropriate. Beer and beaches? Since my teens. I grew up in Utica, NY with the worst winters and not much to do as a kid. I wouldn’t change it. It gives me my character. At the same time, I couldn't wait to get out and be by the beach.

 

YOU’VE BEEN CALLED AN ANTI-INFLUENCER. DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF ONE?I do consider myself going against the grain a little bit. It's no secret that I'm not the biggest fan of this industry at times and have chosen to do things my own way. But at the same time I am super grateful that I am even a part of this weird world. But the feeling I get when seeing that I am empowering girls around the world, it’s awesome.

 

HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE OVERSTIMULATION FROM THE VIRTUAL WORLD WITH SO MANY COMMENTS, DM'S, AND OPINIONS OF YOUR WORK VIA KEYBOARD? IS IT VULNERABLE TO BE SO "OUT" THERE?

It's extremely hard to put yourself out there to the masses of the scary internet. It's not for the thin skinned and can't imagine having started this when I was younger. People assume that you love the attention and spotlight, but for me that couldn't be any further from the truth. Believe it or not, I'm a pretty private person.

 

CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT A DAY IN YOU LIFE LOOKS LIKE FOR YOU?

I start with work emails, take lunch on the beach where I take pictures, hit up the post office, open new packages, style outfits, take more pictures, and then I'll get back to urgent emails. I have given myself a routine because I found I work better with set office hours and taking weekends off from email.

 

IN AN ONLINE WORLD FULL OF MAGAZINE STYLE PHOTOS, #LIVINGMYBESTLIFE HASHTAGS, AND INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES....HOW DID YOU FIND SUCCESS BY DOING NONE OF THAT?

I think it was refreshing for girls to see something real and different. My images are not glammed up (thanks sunnies), with no professional photographer, and I'm just being myself. Which is mostly drinking a beer on the beach with a turkey sandwich and chips.

 

CLOSE YOUR EYES... WHERE ARE YOU IN 20 YEARS?

I have no fucking idea. This question gives me anxiety.

 

FAVORITE WORD, QUOTE, LYRIC, BOOK, PERSON, STORY THAT HELPED YOU BECOME WHO YOU ARE TODAY...AND MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO OUR READERS WITH THE SAME AMBITIONS AS YOU.

"Who cares what other people think." —My mom

 

Background, Context & Reference

 

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Feb 2018Jess Davisbehind the screens: halley elefante, batch 2Comment