Davie, FL, is not known for its celebrities. Located outside Fort Lauderdale, FL—a city that is already Miami's equivalent of the Valley—the suburb looks like a Western movie set. Cops ride horses, shopping plaza parking lots have stables, and teens hang out at the Sawgrass Mills, a mall shaped like an alligator. In 2016, though, the city is nourishing a budding celebrity: a two-year-old Instagram model named Taylen.
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Taylen's mother, Angelica Calad, launched an Instagram called @taylensmom nearly two years ago as a way to keep friends and family updated on her baby. Since then, 128,000 people have followed the account. Now, Calad uses the platform to promote her children's clothing line, POMP Kids, which she runs out of her home in Davie. Since giving birth to a second daughter, Aleia, last year, Calad has started posting photos of her, too. She says she doesn't stage photos and takes the images around the house. "It's more of a lifestyle Instagram, so it's really our life every day," Calad says.The attention has brought backlash. In November 2015, the New York Times style section ran a tongue-in-cheek story presenting Calad and other "Instamoms" as stage moms. Calad denies the depiction and says she just uses Instagram for fun and as a way to meet other moms. I called Calad to discuss balancing motherhood and Instagram and why she's not a stage mom.This interview has been edited and condensed.
Broadly: How did the Instagram start?
Angelica Calad: Taylen was only about three months old when I decided to just start uploading photos of her every day, just sharing with my friends and family. It was my little escape. Plus, as a new mom you're proud and happy and excited as this new chapter is unfolding, so it was just an outlet to express that.When did you realize your children were becoming internet famous?
It started getting popular when she was six months old. A photo of was picked up by Fashion Kids—which is still to this day the largest fashion platform in social media for kids' fashion—and I guess [the person who runs the account] noticed her via this photo. Still to this day, it's the most liked photo ever on his social media. After that, I really started seeing the movement of social media and really understood what social media was about—that's really when I started seeing the popularity.
Angelica Calad: Taylen was only about three months old when I decided to just start uploading photos of her every day, just sharing with my friends and family. It was my little escape. Plus, as a new mom you're proud and happy and excited as this new chapter is unfolding, so it was just an outlet to express that.When did you realize your children were becoming internet famous?
It started getting popular when she was six months old. A photo of was picked up by Fashion Kids—which is still to this day the largest fashion platform in social media for kids' fashion—and I guess [the person who runs the account] noticed her via this photo. Still to this day, it's the most liked photo ever on his social media. After that, I really started seeing the movement of social media and really understood what social media was about—that's really when I started seeing the popularity.
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Are you monetizing the account?
I wouldn't say monetize, because right now I have set up the Instagram [account] as more [a place for] collaborations. It's not like I'm getting paid from the actual designer or anything like that. They're more collaborations back and forth: [Telling designers], "Hey, I'm loving this," or [companies sending] me their new lines. I wouldn't say monetize just yet, but the girls have their modeling agents and things like that.
I wouldn't say monetize, because right now I have set up the Instagram [account] as more [a place for] collaborations. It's not like I'm getting paid from the actual designer or anything like that. They're more collaborations back and forth: [Telling designers], "Hey, I'm loving this," or [companies sending] me their new lines. I wouldn't say monetize just yet, but the girls have their modeling agents and things like that.
Has popularity changed the way you take photos?
Obviously, you have to be careful when you start noticing that people are following your accounts. It changed my privacy. I [no longer share] everything that I want to share, but at the same time, [popularity] also made me more enthusiastic about the way that I mixed colors and designers.When you're clothes shopping, do you take the Instagram into consideration?
I don't. I've always been very fashion driven. When designers are trying to get it together for their next season, they do contact me and ask me what I'm after, what I'm looking for, what's inspiring me at the moment, and things like that—I would say it's more of a cycle rather than me going after trends on Instagram.Does the Instagram help you promote your own children's clothing line?
It's like leotards, t-shirts, sweaters, and things like that, normally graphic garments.Obviously I wouldn't put it out there, especially to sell it, if I wouldn't have my daughters wear it. It's definitely part of our everyday style, but of course we are always mixing and matching with other designers and other brands that I tend to adore.
Obviously, you have to be careful when you start noticing that people are following your accounts. It changed my privacy. I [no longer share] everything that I want to share, but at the same time, [popularity] also made me more enthusiastic about the way that I mixed colors and designers.When you're clothes shopping, do you take the Instagram into consideration?
I don't. I've always been very fashion driven. When designers are trying to get it together for their next season, they do contact me and ask me what I'm after, what I'm looking for, what's inspiring me at the moment, and things like that—I would say it's more of a cycle rather than me going after trends on Instagram.Does the Instagram help you promote your own children's clothing line?
It's like leotards, t-shirts, sweaters, and things like that, normally graphic garments.Obviously I wouldn't put it out there, especially to sell it, if I wouldn't have my daughters wear it. It's definitely part of our everyday style, but of course we are always mixing and matching with other designers and other brands that I tend to adore.
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Do you consider yourself a working mom because of your Instagram and clothing business?
I'm actually a working mom and a stay-at-home mom. I run my business from home. I work at the same time as I take care of my daughters.Are moms your audience?
I've actually gained some amazing friends through the Instagram. I've put a lot of moms out there so that they can actually create their own brands and labels. There were a couple moms who were just making little things at home. I said, "You know what, send me this. I love how that came out." Now they're running a full business at home due to me just picking that one item and putting it out there on my Instagram.What do you think is the biggest misunderstanding about Instamoms?
That we're stage moms. That's something that I tend to run into a lot because even when I meet people from Instagram, they're like, "Oh my gosh, you're so not what I expected. You're so down-to-earth, you don't wear makeup, and it's not about that." And it isn't. To me it was, like I said, just a little escape for me from my everyday mom duties.
I'm actually a working mom and a stay-at-home mom. I run my business from home. I work at the same time as I take care of my daughters.Are moms your audience?
I've actually gained some amazing friends through the Instagram. I've put a lot of moms out there so that they can actually create their own brands and labels. There were a couple moms who were just making little things at home. I said, "You know what, send me this. I love how that came out." Now they're running a full business at home due to me just picking that one item and putting it out there on my Instagram.What do you think is the biggest misunderstanding about Instamoms?
That we're stage moms. That's something that I tend to run into a lot because even when I meet people from Instagram, they're like, "Oh my gosh, you're so not what I expected. You're so down-to-earth, you don't wear makeup, and it's not about that." And it isn't. To me it was, like I said, just a little escape for me from my everyday mom duties.
