Written by Magdalena Munao
Despite the massive effect on various industries far and wide, brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, for models and influencers, this challenging time has forced most to adapt. While many of our favorite influencers and celebrities have taken to their social media platforms to curate creative quarantine and pandemic-friendly content, for model Freya Haworth, her path through the pandemic has looked distinctively different than most models her age.
In early March as the world quickly learned more and more about Covid-19, the stark, new reality of the state of the world would soon weigh heavy on the 21-year-old model.
“Who would have thought that the first few weeks of the coronavirus spreading all over the news would have had this much of a global impact,” Freya says. “Everyone’s lives have changed in some way or another, some forced out of work and being trapped for the first time in your own home with little or no other human contact or company.”
Specifically for Freya, while there was a sense of pressure to maintain relevance like many other models and influencers on social media, the pandemic nearly had the complete opposite effect on her. Instead of engaging with social media, creating tons of content and seeking constant stimulation from her timeline, Freya saw an opportunity to disconnect in order to realign and re-center during this time of uncertainty.
“In times of chaos when we are unable to control our circumstances, one must use the time to look inwards and become more in tune with thyself,” she says. “We are so conditioned to living a crazy busy life style that a lot of us never give ourselves the time to stop and check in with ourselves.”
And as 2020 pivoted into conversations around social injustices, equality and racism, Freya additionally saw this as an opportunity to re-evaluate her belief system and values. These social issues have helped Freya to learn about herself and to see the importance in standing up for her beliefs, regardless of criticism.
“I believe on a collective level, people have been more conscious about the society we live in and what needs to happen post coronavirus,” she says. “The value of giving yourself time to know what you stand for has been what we need to take away from this ‘lock down effect’.”
While she hasn’t completely withdrawn from social media and modeling work, taking on small jobs throughout the pandemic, overall, Freya has been so grateful for the time she’s been afforded through quarantine to reexamine and readjust her thoughts, beliefs and priorities.
“I know things won’t go back to being the same as this has been somewhat a period of enlightenment for many of us,” she says. “I hope to see progression in individuals on a collective level in all aspects.”