How To Actually Be Popular

It's not petty or vein to crave popularity. I mean at the end of the day, popularity means you're admired and supported by a tonne of people. You have social invites up the wazoo for parties, festivals, gigs... and fresh 'n funky experiences too, nudging you out of your comfort zone, like a trip to South America or being an extra in a TV show... Not to mention, you always have someone to hang with, to talk to, to help you...

Seems like a dream. 🥰 But how do you make it a reality? 

Here's how to actually be popular. 

1. Be like Maddy

Films show us that the popular kids are either the hottest, the richest, the funniest, sometimes the smartest, or the most talented at a certain hobby like sport or music. Maybe their house is always free so they always throw ragers on the weekend.

Maddy wasn't really any of that. She was better. 

She was the kind of person that brought a pack of Tim Tams to class and shared them around. She'd compliment you on your new haircut, your guitar playing, or your 17/20 mark on that exam. She would genuinely ask you how you were, what you did on the weekend or what your new job was like.

Maddy didn't need to be the centre of attention - she didn't crave the validation of popularity. She was just herself - kind, giving, caring... and everyone loved her. She didn't talk smack about people, she'd help you if you needed it, she never pretended not to know you outside of school - she'd always say hello. 

I think we can all be a little bit more like Maddy. 

2. Be confident (in your own way)

Confidence isn't just being loud, wild, and extroverted. It's not just being the life of the party or the ability to perform in front of thousands. 

Confidence is genuinely just backing yourself. It's not taking yourself so seriously. 

Even if you're the most awkward person to walk the earth, embrace it! Back it! Be confident because mate, you're the most awkward person to walk the earth! What a claim to fame!

Back your hobbies, your grades, your personality, your passions, your dreams... As Hannah Montana sang, "nobody's perfect", so don't try to be! Always be glowing up - learn new skills, workout, try to be kinder or a better listener... but also accept that you will always have flaws so bask in 'em. Laugh at yourself, love yourself, back yourself.

3. Be interesting to talk to

So basically, be an interesting person. Ummmm how?

Get some hobbies! Learn a new instrument, get into pottery, buy a film camera, and bring it everywhere. 

Get passionate! Over a fave flick or album. Over an artist or a new recipe. 

Get some dreams! Maybe you really want to one day to ayahuasca in Peru with a shaman, or you wanna meet Mick Jagger. Maybe you wanna go to Glastonbury festival one day, or win an oscar for Best Original Screenplay. 

Now THAT is an interesting person to talk to! The more we work on ourselves, the more openminded we are to learning and growing, the more interesting we become! 

At the end of the day, popularity is basically a form of ✨validation✨. Think about a time you got invited to a party, raked in likes on an Instagram post or heard people talking highly of you... You probably felt pretty red hot. Cool. Wanted. Worthy. Validated. But I think we've learnt in this article that true validation, true popularity, comes from within you. When you're kind and genuinely want to listen and learn from people, when you back yourself, and when you work on your hobbies, passions and dreams, people will be drawn to you. Popularity will be inevitable.