Lauren Alexis, an influencer, states that her grandmother, who is a psychologist, said that she was bound to end up pregnant, poor, and begging for money after opting for a career in social media over attending college.
Alexis said that they hardly communicated for a long period because her grandmother couldn’t accept her career choice, even though she gained a huge following and financial independence.
According to Lauren, her grandmother has always said that one day she will end up 16 and pregnant. She also said she was bound to be broke and begging for money.
As per Lauren’s account, she remembered her grandmother saying, “You’re going to be 16 and pregnant. You’re going to be broke. You’re going to be coming to me asking me for help.” “Your brother and sister are going to do so much better than you. You’re never going to be like your cousins. You’re not going to do this family proud.”
Family members pursued various traditional career paths. For instance, Alexis’ grandmother and aunt were a psychologist and psychiatrist, respectively. Other family members were nurses, soldiers, etc.
She said others expected her to follow a certain path after college and earning a degree.
According to Alexis, her initial career interest was medicine and biology. Still, she pursued a career as an influencer, which led to conflict with her grandmother.
“When she found out that I didn’t want to do that, she just completely switched,” Alexis said.
Many years of poor communication were characterized by rejection when Alexis tried to reconcile with her grandmother.
“Every time I would reach out, I’d message her, ‘Hey, do you want to get a coffee?’ And she’d reply, ‘Why? What do you need?'” she said.
“In the end, I stopped contacting her because every single time I contacted her, she just threw it back in my face.”
After several years, Alexis unexpectedly met her grandmother, whom her mother had invited to a coffee meet-up. It was the first meeting in four or five years. But, once again, their meeting soured as the former offered to pay the bill.
“I went up, and I paid for the coffees. And she stood up and said, ‘See, you’re just showing off. You can’t let me buy the coffee,'” Alexis recalled.
Lauren admitted that the response shocked her, as she used to pay for meals for her mom even before she became financially successful.
However, their last meeting left the influencer unsure whether she could reconcile with her grandmother.
She recalled meeting her grandmother on a trip with her sister and hearing the same predictions that haunted her during her teenage years.
“I walked over to her, and she was like, ‘Oh.’ And she kind of looked me up and down. She goes, ‘So you’ve not had a baby yet? Not pregnant yet?'” Alexis said.
“That was the first thing that came to her mind because that’s obviously what she remembers saying to me before.”
Rather than congratulating or asking about her life, her grandmother constantly kept mentioning pregnancy and her looks.
“She didn’t give me a hug. She didn’t really say hi properly or anything like that. And then she went on to talk about me being pregnant again,” Alexis said.
“She was like, ‘Well, if you do decide you want to have a baby, I hope you know your body won’t bounce back to how it is. You’re not going to look the same. You’ll ruin your body.'”
Lauren admitted it showed how little had changed between them, despite the years that had passed.
While acknowledging her hurt feelings, she said that her grandmother’s comments became a drive behind her success.
“I was definitely upset by her saying it because I was like, I can’t believe she thinks that of me,” Alexis said.
The influencer confessed that, rather than deterring her, the comment pushed her to work hard and prove herself right, she added.
“I think it actually probably helped push me to work harder, almost at that age,” Alexis said, admitting that her grandmother finds it difficult to believe that somebody can earn so much outside a traditional job. “She doesn’t understand that success can come from a lot of different avenues.”
Lauren admitted that while her grandmother knows about her accomplishments, she fails to acknowledge them, and much of the conflict revolves around control over family members’ career choices.
“I think because I said no and then my brother and sister said no, I think that really got to her because I think in a way she felt like she’d lost her power,” Alexis described.
However, her relationship with her mother is different.
Lauren admitted that her mother was a bit skeptical regarding social media as a way to earn money. However, her doubt disappeared very soon as she started supporting her.
“Within like two, three months, she was so supportive. She’s always been one as well; she is very, very proud,” Alexis recalled.
The influencer also said her mother helps with her work as an influencer, picking outfits when Alexis is too busy shopping.
“If I was doing try-on hauls and I didn’t have time to go to Victoria’s Secret and buy new lingerie for try-on hauls, she would so happily just go out and get involved with it all,” she said. “For her, it’s just a normal job. Completely normal.”
While admitting her grandmother wasn’t happy with her career choice, Lauren doesn’t regret it. She says that her choice allowed her to feel secure, gain financial independence, and freedom.
“The security I have with my job now and the freedom I have, and the opportunities it’s allowed me to have, I think it’s definitely made me a happier person,” she said.
The reconciliation with her grandmother may happen if the latter sees her in a traditional role of a married woman and a mother.
“I think the only way she will come around is the day I get married and have a child. I think that’s the day she’ll be like, ‘Oh, okay. Yeah, Lauren did something good,'” Alexis said.
“Unless it’s something completely traditional, she’s not going to want to be in my life in any aspect until I’ve done something that she would agree with.”
But for now, the situation taught Lauren not to judge the others as they choose their own path.
“I didn’t like being judged by her. So I’ve always been very, very open to people doing absolutely anything,” she said. “I think if you can do something well enough to make it work and get paid loads from it and you’re happy doing it, then just do it.”
