The dances and trends that sweep social networks usually represent empty content that many influencers resort to to position themselves on the Internet and accumulate minutes in front of the screen. However, that same content is what Paula Cisneros (@yolopuedotodo) uses to show that she can achieve anything she sets her mind to. The 15-year-old was born with Down syndrome and has been able to become one of the most influential creators in Spain, accumulating more than 200,000 followers on Instagram and two million on TikTok.
Paula began her career in social networks with her sister Sara (@saracisnerosg), who is also an influencer and has a large mass of followers in all her networks. "We started on TikTok during quarantine because we were bored, although at first my mother wouldn't let me," Paula explains with a laugh.
However, her journey in networks began much earlier on Instagram, specifically when Paula was 7 years old. Both, they say, began to upload photos and videos for pure fun, "like two normal sisters", without waiting or trying to get the possibility of living from it one day.
But that was something that those who saw them did not understand: "At first they told me that I used my sister to make me famous, when they did not know that she was the one who asked me to make videos. They thought I was taking advantage of her condition and that a girl like her shouldn't be so exposed. But they did not see that Paula is like other children who appear on social networks, the only thing is that she has Down syndrome, but she does not have to stay at home locked up, "confesses Sara.
They had a hard time making the public understand this, but once they did, people began to be fond of them instead of "scared" when they saw them. And precisely, that appreciation by the public and its boom in TikTok was what made brands begin to be interested in their profile and start making money through showing themselves on social networks.
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Sara explains that it took her "a little less than a year to start monetizing with social media, but that Paula took much longer." The little girl is limited to doing some very studied campaign and in which she can feel comfortable, "since she does not dedicate this professionally, she is a student and that is her job."
It should be remembered that Paula is 15 years old and that she is currently in the second year of ESO, where she goes to class in an ordinary way, with the help of a teacher specialized in some subjects. In high school, the little influencer is a star and that's something she loves. In addition, he explains that his life in networks does not influence his studies at all, "because homework and exams come first", so he dedicates himself to recording his videos for TikTok on weekends or in his spare time.
Paula is very clear about her goals in life, since apart from having the motivation to show herself as a person equal to any other, she has the illusion of becoming an actress and model of success, a goal for which she is already attending theater classes, speech therapist, eating healthy and exercising. All this to one day be as famous as her idol, Aitana, whom she dreams of meeting one day.
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Networks as work
Sara, on the other hand, does live exclusively from the networks, where she has 260,000 followers on Instagram and almost two million on TikTok. She is trained as a social worker and as a cabin crew member and is still surprised that there are people who are interested in her life: "I find it super strange that people want to know about me; that I, simply because I am Sara, entertain. I feel very lucky that they love me, see me, love me, ask me for advice or tell me their things. It's a wonderful thing that I often find hard to believe."
However, despite the fact that it has existed for years, the world of social networks is not something that everyone understands, so it is usually the target of a large number of criticisms. The main and most repeated of them all is that dedicating oneself to networks cannot be considered as a job, because of the little effort involved. This is something that Sara recognizes as true, although at the same time she clarifies that "anyone could not dedicate themselves to it".
What is certain is that their work is not what is considered a normal job, that of any influencer is. Trips, events, collaborations, premieres... that is the reality experienced by girls like Sara, in this case, Marta Díaz or Lola Lolita. All of them seem to be cut by the same pattern, that of being young, beautiful and attractive, but for Sara Cisneros these characteristics, although important, are useless without an overwhelming personality capable of transmitting and reaching the user: "Of course the physique is something important, things as they are, but what has more weight is your personality and what you are able to transmit with it. If you don't have that, no matter how beautiful you are, you have nothing to do. Although, obviously, the physique influences because many girls look at you by the hairstyles you make, the clothes you wear and how they fit, "he says.
Unforgettable experiences
One of those experiences that Sara and Paula were able to live thanks to being influential in social networks was to parade at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Madrid, something that was a dream come true for them. Both appeared together – although they would have preferred to leave separately – by the hand of the French cosmetics company L'Oréal, to become an example of female empowerment.
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But not only the brands want to have their image, also from the Canal Extremadura, the regional television of their region, they contacted them to give the Bells live. "I had a great time. There were a lot of cameras and a lot of people. We were on the terrace and there was a bell behind us, but I was very cold and got sick. Even so, many people told me that they took the grapes with me and that made me very excited, "explains Paula happily about what was one of the best things she has lived in life. In addition, their appearance in the medium, says Sara, served to give visibility to their world, because "in Extremadura, the issue of social networks is something that is still to be discovered", and that is why they decided to participate "despite not charging anything for it".
These public appearances serve to complement the work Sara and Paula do to normalize Down syndrome. Work for which they already receive many comments of gratitude from families with children who have this genetic alteration and who love that "Paula is Paula".
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