2010s: India Love
Today, we will be going over the OG Tumblr IT GIRL: India Love Westbrooks. As a Tumblr girlie myself, I was a huge fan of her and her come-up. This article will outline her life before fame and what we can learn from it. Much like Blac Chyna’s article, any information I gathered was through research and various interviews.
India Love Westbrooks, aka India Love
born on February 3, 1996 (Aquarius)Childhood.
India is the youngest in her family. She was born to Warren and Westbrooks.
By the time she became a teenager, Warren Westbrooks had a lucrative business and gave back to his family through that success. Warren used to be in the streets with his brother. He had all five girls and grew up in Compton. They moved to a better area (Corona). Family values became her rock as she experienced bullying growing up.
Her family currently has 14 nieces and nephews/14 grandchildren.
Her second most notable Tumblr famous sister is Crystal Westbrooks. Crystal was known for her earthy, bohemian aesthetic. Crystal is only a few years older than India. She is known to be shy, mellow, peaceful, and empathetic. This is India’s closest sibling.
Despite having support from her family, India was bullied in middle school. She says it was a Christian middle school in Corona and that everyone was cliqued up and she had no friends. India says she knew how to navigate through Internet bullying due to her experience in middle school. She used to eat her lunch in the bathroom. She learned how to be okay with being by herself. This set a foundation for her later years.
Tumblr Girl.
Back in the days of Tumblr, everyone had their own style unlike today. I know y’all remember the snapbacks, chunky necklaces, nebula leggings, “swag”, and all of that. It was a great time for self expression. As y’all know I have a Tumblr to this day, and it’s like a better version of a Finsta except everyone has their own aesthetic and universe. If you want to be your own main character and dump whatever, Tumblr is the ORIGINAL for that.
She uploaded simple selfies showcasing her unique, tomboy-girlish style. Her and her ex at the time were known as “couple goals” with their matching outfits and high school sweetheart vibe.
She said in multiple interviews that influencing never crossed her mind and that she wanted to take life as it came to her. It was just for fun. She said she was just “being me, being a kid, and being creative/cool” and it evolved into a support fanbase.
She figured she would go to college, but by the time she was a senior, she wanted to see what life threw at her. India originally wanted to go to college for psychology and was intrigued by how people think and says she yearns for understanding in various situations.
Instagram and TV.
India’s audience transferred from Tumblr to Instagram and developed into a large audience of millions of followers. Before the Instagram girls, people felt like she blew up nearly as big as a Kardashian, which is where the TV show came from.
India and her family made a lot of videos on YouTube until BET reached out saying they wanted to give her and her family an opportunity. The show was canceled after one season. ou can watch it on YouTube, I believe. As I scroll through the comments, I can see how the TV show created some friction between India and her fanbase. I would love for her to redo the show entirely because I am sure she has grown a lot since then (we all know how things are before our frontal lobe develops).
She says she doesn’t have the professional reason, but she claims they had issues with production. The production fell out with BET and they never circled back. She does blame both her and production and says they’ll come back “in their way” and something “better than ever”.
I have seen India rebrand and do some acting on television (A La Carte for example) and she has the perfect face for TV. I hope to see her do more acting and get on YouTube like she planned. The only reason she stopped is because she was critical of the way she looked. I hope things are better for her now. Look at how good she looks on camera!!!
Just like Blac Chyna, she did also star in “BETCollegeHill: Celebrity Edition”. Her love for education did shine here, and it was very impressive. We got to see a bit more of her personality, and she was vulnerable about her insecurities while studying AAST.
Relationships
As India grew on IG, she got the attention of numerous rappers and has been tied with many over the last decade. India said that in her mind, she “doesn’t like to be by herself and she wants someone to help her navigate” and that she “yearns for someone to be there when she needs help.” If her birth chart is correct, that tracks for a Pisces Venus.
She has been in a lot of controversy surrounding her choices in men. Unlike most influencers, she is very aware of this and answers to it. In my opinion, I DO feel like her relationships have overshadowed part of her career. At least she knows it.
She said she doesn’t prefer being at home alone. She thinks she is a bad judge of character when picking men. And it’s like…well yes! But hopefully that ends soon.
She said she wants to have children one day, and that she wants a natural birth. She said last year that she wants 4-5 kids.
India Love Signatures
Bold Eyeliner & Lashes.
India’s makeup was more on par with what I’d say is the original IG baddie look. She had a natural base, with no baking. She was known for having a bold arched brow. You can achieve this by using a brow wiz pencil from Revlon or Anastasia or just use Anastasia pomade for the 2016 thick brow.
She had eyelashes that were meshed in perfectly with her natural lashes. I think a lot of this comes into play of knowing your specific eye shape. She topped this off with her signature lip gloss. India has almond shaped eyes, a button nose, high cheekbones and full lips. Her plastic surgery over the years has enhanced these features a lot, but you can see that she was always that girl.
Curly Hair and Middle Buss Down Part!
India was curly hair goals right around the natural hair movement(same with her sister Crystal omg). I’d say she’s the originator of that big, curly hair girl look.
She doesn’t wear her hair curly as much anymore, unfortunately, however she was good for a sleek black middle part to this day. She used to have lighter brown hair when she was younger as well, but I do think the black suits her face the most. I’m actually glad she knows what looks best on her. She has ventured into different colors of weaves and wigs, but I love the black hair the most!!! It’s always good to stick with your roots (no pun intended lol).
Signature Style.
As I mentioned earlier, India’s style was her biggest selling point besides her unique features. She had a tomboy look in high school and the latest kicks everytime you saw her post. However, you can see that she is still expressive with her style. I’d say it’s more “y2k”/it girl leaning now.
Body for Days!
If y’all ain’t gone notice anything else, y’all will notice her BODY! As a younger girl, India was more of an athletic build with bigger boobs and a small frame and that also made her unique. She is shorter, around 5 feet. Her style was perfect for her body shape then and now.
She has admitted to getting plastic surgery done because of the pressures of keeping up with the IG models of today, even though she didn’t need it. She has always been a fan of CLEAVAGE! Bring cleavage back as an accessory!
Tatted up.
One thing about her is that she has a signature hand tattoo. I think that was really in back in the 2010s and I’ve always wanted one because of her, Rihanna, and Karrueche.
She has a tribal ancient Egyptian tattoo on her left hand. Of all her tattoos this one hurt the most, but she was using it to numb the pain. Maybe that’s why she has 27 tattoos. For anyone who frequently gets tatted, let me know if this tracks lol.
“I was going through some shit, so I had to get tatted to ease the pain.”
Here are a few that I like out of the 27.
back: the past is practice & a cross as a tribute to her grandmother
bicep: “she made pain look beautiful she found peace among the chaos. she wore a smile in situations where most would cry she held the weight of the world on her shoulders and never complained. she’s the one with the angel eyes ready to raise hell for those who take her lightly she’s a flower with thorns that have since made her untouchable shes the queen with warrior in her blood”.
Selfies with Natural Lighting.
Selfies of the 2010s were the selling point and it’s lowkey coming back around. The natural lighting was everything!! You can basically get this by using an Instagram filter or by turning up your exposure and temperature on your iPhone.
What we can learn:
You can manifest literally anything.
A lot of people make excuses that they can’t become influencers, etc. because they don’t have the right “background” or the right equipment. However, India just went for it and kept going even through criticism. She also wrote multiple times and scripted that she would have the house she has.
Stop waiting to follow your dreams… there’s someone who has half of what you may even have and is going after it. What’s stopping you babes? Get rid of those limiting beliefs!
Always, always, always rebrand.
source: serxndgifites
In every 2010s IG Baddie post I will do, I will mention that rebranding is KEY. I said she always, always wants to rebrand.
A year ago, she said she has spent $50k starting over and over with her clothing line and has scrapped it due to being her biggest critic. However, you can TELL that she loves fashion. I hope she does something with it. She also had a short lived music career. Is there anything she hasn’t done?
"You can be cute and there’s another girl tomorrow." (2024)Fall in love with yourself and keep your values.
I believe India’s faith personally kept her focused on herself. She has a strong faith and I always remember her posting the Bible. She is an avid reader of the Bible. She describes herself as very religious and said that she grew up praying and asking God for guidance. She stands with her “chest out and head high at all times.” I think that’s how she has lasted this long under an extensive amount of scrutiny.
Believe it or not, India is an introvert and does not like speaking unless spoken to. She has said before that she hates the sound of her own voice and is overly conscious. She has developed these insecurities over time due to all of the hate but she has made it through by holding onto what matters the most to her.
India said she wants her audience to learn that even though it looks like she is just a cute girl who got popping from a surface level… she truly wants to be a “walking testimony”.
She says you have to push through hate and people don’t want to see you do well. She says it is a marathon and you have to believe in yourself. India describes herself as the “love of her life” and is constantly learning how to fall in love with herself.
Overall, there’s plenty of things to learn from her mindset. I hope y’all enjoyed this and it gave you inspiration! On to the next!
“a b**** turns 18 every day. I am never going to be washed. I am the blueprint, I know y’all know that.” (2023)
