Model Syd Wilder 'wanted to get real and get deep with people' through her podcast 'Girl Insta-rupted'
Actor, comedian, model and writer Syd Wilder, famous for her roles in films like ‘This is the End’, ‘Super Shark’ and ‘Piranhaconda’, recently spoke to MEA WorldWide (MEAWW) about her podcast and being a social media influencer.
Speaking about ‘Girl Insta-rupted’, her podcast about “self-love, sex, show business, soul and sanity”, Wilder said, “I just got sick of people pretending to be something that they’re not, and I was like no, this is what it is, this is what it’s like to live in L. A., this is what it's like to pursue a career. I have gone through a lot of stuff… And I think it’s really important to talk openly about this. I’m a suicide survivor.”
Wilder said, “If you want my 100 percent honesty, it really just depends on what field you’re in. Like, if I was trying to be a doctor or a lawyer, or pursue any career where I would need to be taken seriously, that’s a whole different ball game.” She added, “But since I’m in this position right now, I can talk openly about this… people in the media that can speak freely, absolutely should!”
Talking about how she uses her social media influencer status to highlight mental health issues, Wilder said, “My thing is, I understand what life is. I know that it’s not all roses and everything. So when I see people that post happy inspirational quotes, where it’s just about them, I’m like, ‘No. Listen. I know life can get really difficult and challenging. But it’s your choice whether you choose to be positive or not’. So that’s what I’m doing… so I can keep that reality and still get that motivation going.”
On the idea of spreading positivity, but avoiding “toxic positivity”, Wilder said, “There are so many people, especially people like life coaches who shouldn’t be life coaches -- you’re not qualified! You’re 20. What have you done? You know what I mean, like be a personal trainer and go do yoga -- anything else, other than life-coaching,” adding that it is important to be realistic while being inspirational.
Going back to her podcast, she said, “I was going through a really terrible marriage breakup, I just had cancer in my cervix, I was in a really really bad narcissistic sociopath relationship that was my marriage and then it dissolved… So our couples therapist -- one night I had entirely too much to drink and I was taking drugs and I spiraled out of control. So my therapist is on my podcast on the first episode and we talked about the entire experience. And I wanted to share that because I was so sick of being viewed as this Instagram model, this one-dimensional -- I wasn’t even a person. I just felt dehumanized. I just wanted people to realize I was human.”
She added, “It doesn’t matter what you look like. Mental health doesn’t have an aesthetic. And so, I wanted to get real and get deep with people. And connect with others.” She further said, “I just like to inspire people. You’re not your mental health. You’re you and only you get to decide who that is.”