Influencer

It’s 9 a.m. when Emily drags herself out of bed. Groggily, she shuffles out of her room and down the hallway toward the bathroom. Music and loud laughter come from her sister’s room as she passes. Her sister, Alexis, and their cousin, Sarah, are engaged in their usual gossip. Not that Emily cares much about their discussions; she is still too sleepy and not interested in the drama of social media personalities. She finds it superficial and pretentious.

Once Emily reaches the bathroom, she pulls off her oversized shirt and checks out her pantyclad body in the mirror. She’s always been self-conscious ever since she was bullied in middle school. Being an introvert and a late bloomer made her an easy target.

Her older sister Alexis hasn’t been much help either. She’s always been upset by the perception that Emily is their mother Joanne’s favorite child. Emily was an excellent student and rarely got into trouble, unlike Alexis, who was quite the troublemaker. This dynamic led to their mother often berating Alexis to be more like her sister. To avoid further trouble, Alexis would take her anger out on Emily whenever she could. Alexis didn’t hate Emily; she just struggled to find another way to relieve the pressure their mother put on her. Though she wouldn’t admit it, jealousy played a significant role in her feelings.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, Emily pinches her tummy, wondering if she has gained some weight. She also examines her breasts, unsure whether they are too big or too small. Unfortunately, her breasts developed later than those of most girls in her class, leading to mockery from her classmates. Eventually, she grew into a womanly figure, but instead of gaining acceptance and being spared from bullying, she was targeted for having a “slutty” body—a result of envy from the girls and unwanted attention from the boys.

After scrutinizing herself in the mirror for a few minutes, Emily finally drops her panties and steps into the shower. She takes care of herself, but years of bullying have left her extremely self-conscious, especially about her body. This is why she prefers wearing loose, oversized clothing. She fears that showing too much skin or wearing fitted clothes will expose her to becoming a target again.

As she turns on the shower, she tries to forget about her insecurities while the warm water washes away her tension and worries, if only for a moment.

After her shower, Emily lazily wraps the nearest towel around her body and begins to blow her hair dry. Still a bit drowsy from just waking up, she steps back into the hallway and heads to her room to get dressed. She doesn’t realize that her left nipple is peeking out over the top of the towel. Passing by her sister’s open door, Emily pokes her head inside. Alexis and Sarah stand with their backs to the door, moving in poorly synchronized fashion to some unremarkable pop song. When they finish their dance, Alexis checks the recording on her phone and spins around, cursing at Emily for ruining her TikTok video since Emily is visible in the background. Annoyed at the interruption, Alexis demands they repeat their effort.

Startled by Alexis’s outburst, Emily rushes back to her room and begins to get dressed. Just then, their mother calls for breakfast. She quickly throws on an oversized shirt and some sweatpants before heading down to the kitchen, promising herself to get properly dressed afterward.