Same, Zara. Same.
As a woman, I have found it very common to look to public figures and celebrities for inspiration in my own life. Some famous women like Jennifer Aniston or Zooey Deschanel are most likely already on your list. The "Woman Crush Wednesday" hashtag on Instagram has thousands of pictures of these women every week. But what about when we find someone new on our own? I experienced a few interesting effects of finding my newest girl crush, Zara Larsson, through Instagram.
1. Interest and discovery: That "hm" moment
About a year ago, I discovered Zara Larsson through Instagram. I thought, "Wow, she's adorable. She's a singer and she's only 16? She's gotta be amazing."
2. Increasing curiosity
Thus began my Google search. First, I went straight to find the proof of her musical talent. I was not disappointed. Zara Larsson's voice is incredibly strong, reminiscent of Rihanna but with perhaps a purer tone. I first watched her video for her song "Rooftop," and I immediately fell in love with her talent and image. She came off as this confident teenager who knew what she wanted and what she was worth. That's so hard to be in today's world. I know I didn't figure the whole confidence thing out until I was probably 18 years old.
Oh, by the way, Zara Larsson competed on and won "Talang," Sweden's "Got Talent" show, at 10 years old. TEN. What did you do when you were that age?!
3. Investing in research
One thing led to another, and I found myself Googling Zara between classes and when I was bored, so I found more and more songs, videos, and interviews. I wanted to know exactly who this Swedish sensation was and what she did in her free time. I wanted to know if she was like me in more ways than I thought.
And she was. Zara adores Beyoncé as much as the next girl and binge watches "Orange is the New Black" with the rest of us.
After a while, learning about her got a little more difficult. At this point in time, her EP "Uncover" hadn't been released in the United States, and she didn't tweet in English as much as she does now. This posed a bit of a language barrier.
I discovered her blog and found myself using various online translation tools in order to simply read about what she was doing every day. I only got to this point because this girl is awesome. She's very outspoken, often tweeting about feminism and her personal beliefs.
4. Imitation
We find someone we think is awesome and we want to do what we can to be like them. It happens. I know half of the women who have seen "Friends" have tried to copy "The Rachel" haircut, myself included. I did the obvious such as wearing more crop tops and doing more crunches to be as fit as her. But eventually my growing adoration of Zara Larsson led me to download the Duolingo app with the goal of learning Swedish. Google Translate only did so much. If this is not proof of my dedication, I don't know what is. I am not ashamed. She's awesome. And I now know some Swedish.
5. Implementation/Influence in everyday life
After I got over the initial obsession stage, I went back to reality and stopped creeping on Zara's social media every single day. We all go through stages of obsessions, like the first couple weeks after Taylor Swift releases a new album or the 19 hours after a season of OITNB comes to Netflix. But I still jam to Zara when I'm driving or mowing the lawn. When I first heard her new single "Lush Life," I fangirl-ed and played it on repeat for two weeks straight. Her posts give me life and encouragement every day and help remind me that it's important to love yourself.
SAME.
Girl crushes are normal, and my appreciation for Zara is fueled by her extraordinary talent and poised persona.
Watch her music video for "Lush Life" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD4HCZe-tew
