‘It’s just me doing what I do’

Abbie Clemmings laughs as she remembers the first time somebody stopped her to ask for a selfie. “It was at an event in London. She looked so nervous. But I still felt so awkward myself!”

“I’m just a normal girl walking around. It’s so weird that people want to speak to me and take a picture with me!”

The reason why a stranger in the capital was asking for a selfie was all down to Abbie’s Instagram channel, @abbiecurls, on which she shares photos and videos of her hairstyle ideas, and how to manage Afro and curly hair.

On Christmas Eve last year, Abbie acquired her 100,000th follower and she hopes to be able to grow her following even more in 2019 with the aim of being able to leave her part-time office job and concentrate on her social media career full-time.

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The 23-year-old from Eastville is the youngest of four siblings and went to Glenfrome Primary School and Fairfield High School before reading criminology and psychology at UWE.

She set up her Instagram account in 2015 after graduating as a way of documenting her own style but soon found that she was tapping into a wider trend of celebrating natural hair rather than perming or straightening it.

“A lot of people are realising that they don’t have to conform to certain beauty standards,” said Abbie, who credits her mother, who does not have Afro hair herself, of doing “a great job” with her hair when she was younger.

Abbie said that she used to only watch YouTube for its Afro hair videos, and now sees one of her roles on her Instagram channel as giving people help with their own hair like a family member or friend would.

Recent videos have seen Abbie share her nighttime and morning hair routine with her followers, taking out her braids and detangling, and moisturising her hair.

“I don’t put videos out as tutorials,” Abbie told Bristol24/7 over a hot chocolate in Caffe Nero opposite Cabot Circus. “I say that this is what I do. It’s not the right or wrong way to do it. If it works, great. If not, then try something else.”

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Brands reached out to Abbie soon after she set up her Instagram, and she always makes sure to let her followers know when a photograph or video is part of a paid partnership.

She is also keen to stress, however, that she would never accept any sponsorship from a brand that she would not already be comfortable using, and has turned down potential endorsements from the likes of teeth-whitening and eye-colouring products, as well as hair products not relevant to her style.

Abbie’s social media following has seen her invited to be on panels at hair events in London like Shades of Beauty Live (the one she was stopped at last year for a selfie) but she sees the fact that she still has a part-time job as a benefit because it means that she can keep her channel’s integrity and authenticity.

“It’s just me doing what I do,” she said matter-of-factly. “I never expected to get to this point. That was never a plan! But I’m loving it. This year I’m just going to continue what I’m doing and see what opportunities will arise.

“People don’t want to spend hours on their hair. I love my hair. But I don’t want it to take over my mornings. I’m actually quite lazy with my hair. I’m surprised that people follow me at all because I’m so lazy!”

Read more: Instagram showcase: January 2019