Tefi Pessoa Explains Why She Made Her Internet World a ‘Gated Community’

If creator, red carpet correspondent, and advice queen Tefi Pessoa could tell her audience one thing, it’s that the person she is on their for-you-pages is the same exact person she is when the cameras stop rolling.

“The energy that you feel is real! It’s not a character,” Pessoa says during a wide-ranging Rolling Stone interview. “There’s not enough Vyvanse or Adderrall in the world to come up with that character.”

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Pessoa, 35, was first inspired to be some kind of creator before she even fathomed what content creation was — watching a visiting storyteller during middle school and thinking “that’s real power.” Now, Pessoa has become a go-to source for everything from comedy to good old-fashioned sit-down-and-shut-up advice. In May, she started a monthly advice column with the Cut called Ask Tefi, and just this month launched a new Vox Media podcast Tefi Talks, where she breaks down some of the biggest pop culture news of the day. Pessoa sat down with Rolling Stone to celebrate the release of the 25 Most Influential Creators List and talk through her own experience becoming a creator people know for being a sage — and direct — voice of reason.

One thing Pessoa bemoans is the lack of nuance in digital spaces, saying she she wishes people treated content creators with more good faith understanding instead of pile-ons.

“People always say, ‘Tefi, ignore the haters,’” she says. But that’s easier said than done. “You can barely tolerate someone cutting you off in traffic. Imagine someone coming online and saying, ‘You’re a bad person.’”

The creator describes her online presence as a “gated community,” one that doesn’t exclude people, but helps her build up important boundaries to make sure she can keep the most precious parts of her life safe.

“Even with dating and stuff, I feel a lot safer talking about my life because I like to talk about things that I’ve already learned. I don’t wanna learn with someone who doesn’t know me. And I think being older online has given me that,” she says. “If I was 21 years old, I would post my pap smear results.”

Tefi chatted about the people she recognized on the Most Influential Creator List (“Tefi Pessoa’s a real bitch”), the people she had mixed feelings about (“Mr.Beast. I don’t know.” ) and some friends she wished were included (Eric Sedeno, Bomanizer, and Erika Priscilla). But most of all, she reminisced on how being part of this online community has changed her life for the better.

“I would still be making content today if I never made a dime,” she says. “I have so much fun.”

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