If the name “Tallulah Willis” rings a bell, you probably already follow her (@buuski) on Instagram. You may also be of that age when you can remember a time before the Internet, when tabloids still raked in a ton of money and the three Willis sisters made weekly appearances on the front covers.
The Willis sisters and I grew up at the same time; the difference being, I never had sisters, was not the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, and (luckily) did not have my awkward growing body and horrifying outfits shamed for the amusement of millions of strangers in the grocery store checkout line.
Being the kid of two super famous people does not a cool person make. And though Tallulah Willis undoubtedly had it easy in some ways, the 24-year-old has also had her fair share of struggles. All things considered, Tallulah grew up to be a super rad chick with an Instagram actually worth following.
1. She's a positive role model for young women struggling with body issues and addiction.
When Tallulah was just 13 years old, she was diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder. She suffered from depression and anxiety throughout her teenage years, turning to drugs in college as a means of holding her demons at bay.
When she turned 20, Tallulah went to rehab where she became Buuski the illustrator. Her art has become her emotional outlet, and she is not shy to share her struggles with body dysmorphia and addiction to her 187,000 Instagram followers.
She has discussed the importance of transparency when it comes to her sobriety, saying that “If my ease to broach my story on a wide-scale audience can lessen the burden of even one person's pain, I know it is my duty to keep on doing so. I have learned so much from others journeys around me, and I would just like to do the same.”
“3 years ago I was a malnourished string bean with aches that echoed throughout my soul. However the internal cries to tend my most blistered and deep wounds repeatedly fell on deaf ears.
I did not value myself, my life or my body and as such I was constantly punishing for not being enough. Self annihilation fueled with medicating left me a shell, and the world on mute.
I was hoisted from my hole, (one so deep I was certain we were nearing the Earths magma core) on the backs of powerful human beings that I will forever be indebted too, and on that day my life was gifted back to me. I love the girl in this picture, I cry for her and I mourn her lost years. She is inside of me always and I must never let her slip too far.”
2. She's not afraid to flaunt her sexuality, nor to make fun of herself.
Buuski has posted photos calling herself a “self-aware thirst trap,” which is self-referential and funny and ultimately true. But as noted, it has taken the artist a long time to become comfortable and happy inside her own body. We stan a hot chick aware of her own sexuality and unafraid to finally own it.
3. She uses her Instagram to turn the concept of ‘celebrity' on its head.
Tallulah regularly pokes fun at the tabloids and the paparazzi, blasting them on her Instagram in much the same way they do her family. She’s also called social media “detrimental to the psyche and soul,” a sentiment that has ultimately been proven to be absolutely true among researchers.
Whereas most “famous” and pretty young influencers use their platform strictly for as an ego boost, Tallulah seems to genuinely understand the phoniness of it all — and calls it out at every opportunity, especially when “it” applies to her own damn self.
“Celebrity has gotten pushed to a place of such absurdity because of the way we can consume images 24/7,” she once said in an interview with Elle. “So the cool thing is that now it's become a kind of performance art, where certain celebrities — especially young women — are taking ownership of the invasiveness that comes with fame, and they're turning it on its head.”
4. She has killer style.
If the “inspirational” reasons to follow Buuski don't resonate with you, certainly her dope fashion sense will. A casual stroll through her Instagram reveals some of the sickest looks on my feed, which I personally attempt to replicate nearly constantly.
“That feeling you're supposed to have on your wedding day…why not have that every day?” Tallulah said in an interview with StyleLikeU several years ago, which is literally my new life motto. “It's inside you the whole time! It's just you!”
Besides that, she's got her own clothing line, adorned with her quirky, beady-eyed drawings. Her style pet peeve? “People who don’t think they can ‘pull something off,' thus creating self-fulfilling prophecies hindering their style growth and evolution.” Preach sis!
5. She was Dobby the House Elf for Halloween.
Need we say more?
