Haven McNabb, a 20-year-old fashion student at George Brown College in Toronto, loves to play dress-up. At least, that’s what her Instagram bio says. With more than 21,000 Instagram followers, 34,000 TikTok followers and 3 million likes, her vibrant style and sharp humour have planted the seeds for a passionate online following.
McNabb, originally from St. Catherines, said she considers herself a “micro-influencer,” a person with a larger following than the average online citizen, but smaller than that of a celebrity.
The Charlatan sat down with McNabb to discuss fashion, community and what social media means to her.
The Charlatan (TC): When and why did you start posting on social media seriously?
Haven McNabb (HM): When I was younger, I always wanted to work in social media because I have a very loud personality. I talk a lot. When I was in elementary school, I tried to start a YouTube channel but I was made fun of for it. Through high school I stopped, until I graduated and moved to Toronto. So many people here are incredibly active on social media.
I made a new account to be a type of digital portfolio. I was thinking about how I could make a good income doing something that I love, which is styling. The only way to make good money doing that, other than film styling or being a celebrity stylist, is to put yourself out there online.
TC: How do you make money online?
HM: I’ve never actually done paid content, but I have been gifted things. Companies send me gift boxes and special promotions. Now that I’ve started focusing on Instagram more, I’ve started to get more offers for paid content. It’s finally starting!
TC: What are some of the downsides of being on social media?
HM: I’m always posting on my socials because I want to make a career out of it, but I really hate social media. The good parts of it are great, they’re amazing, but the bad parts of it are so incredibly toxic. It’s really, really hard to find that balance.
Sometimes I will catch myself in a wormhole where I’m doom scrolling at 3 a.m. and feeling really negative about myself. You’ll see these really cool people in different parts of the world, with more money than you, travelling more than you or you think they’re more talented. I feel like that really comes from overdoing it. If you’re just constantly doom scrolling at 3 a.m.? Nothing good happens at that hour.
TC: How do you deal with negative comments?
HM: I think I’ve always had a pretty positive outlook. If you’re spending so much time on social media, you’re bound to come across hate and negativity.
I get a lot of negativity on my Instagram videos. Personally, it just boosts my engagement and it makes me happy, but that’s not the case for everyone. I think that it really can, and has, taken a huge toll on people’s mental health.
HM: I’ve met so many cool people online. The relationships that you get are with people you would literally never meet in real life. I’m friends with girls from Vancouver and Europe. We’re just internet mutuals and we gas each other up over outfits.
There’s only so many weird, eclectic people. Social media is the best possible way to find people with similar interests and quirky styles. I’ve found a community of crazy fashion girlies that really love going outside of the box and expressing themselves through their style.
TC: Do you ever struggle with staying authentic while maintaining a certain image?
HM: I have a really small audience compared to other creators, but since it’s been growing a lot faster recently, I feel this sense of needing to keep up a constantly entertaining version of myself. If I’m not being positive enough or interesting enough in my content, then there is this huge sense of pressure. There’s always a looming question of “is this good enough?” every time I want to post something.
You honestly have to just say fuck it. Someone’s gonna see your posts and gonna forget about it as soon as they scroll past. It really does not matter what you’re putting on there as long as you feel that it’s true to yourself.
TC: How has social media affected your relationship with fashion?
HM: I think that social media gave me the opportunity to connect with other crazies. I feel so much more comfortable in myself. Social media has helped me branch out and feel confident with the stares that I get in public, because I know that everybody’s different. I have a weird sense of style, and it gives me a platform to express myself.
Find McNabb’s outfits and videos @havenmcnabb on Instagram and TikTok.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Featured image provided by Haven McNabb.
