Living under public scrutiny has shaped Manuela Sánchez’s personal and professional choices, she said. In her first solo interview, featured in Harper’s Bazaar, Sánchez described how her career plans have shifted in recent years, taking her from fashion design towards a more public-facing role as an influencer.
Until last year, Sánchez, now 24, was focused on building a future in fashion after studying in Mexico. By 2026, her ambitions had changed direction. She now presents herself as an influencer, aiming to showcase her creativity and interest in art and cultural diversity. Sánchez also described a growing interest in writing, suggesting that her artistic path remains open-ended.
Reflecting on her upbringing, Sánchez said she was exposed to fame early in life. In the interview, she described how the pressure has intensified in recent years, when public remarks can quickly attract judgment or lead to being typecast. She said media attention now feels more fleeting and less consequential than in the past, allowing her to approach it with some detachment.
Sánchez credits her parents with instilling confidence and conviction in her decision-making. She said that living independently from the age of 18 and experiencing life in different countries shaped her perspective on art and public life. For her, art is a profession and a way to channel emotion and handle personal challenges.
Her account comes amid a social-media environment that has become basic to young people’s daily lives in Spain. IAB Spain’s 2026 social-media study, conducted with Elogia and sponsored by Be a Lion, reports that 86% of internet users aged 12 to 75 use social networks, a total of 33.1 million people. Among respondents aged 18 to 30, average use reached 6.1 platforms a month and one hour and 23 minutes a day; the study also found that 70% of Generation Z respondents follow influencers.
The commercial scale of that environment is growing too. A report by El Economista, citing industry research from IAB Spain and InfoAdex, put Spanish company investment in influencer marketing at €245 million in 2025, up 49% from 2024. The report estimated around 285,000 content creators in Spain, while fewer than one in five met its “top” creator threshold by follower count. These figures describe the wider market, not Sánchez’s individual audience or commercial activity.
Social platforms have blurred the boundaries between public and private life, particularly for the children of well-known figures, while opening new routes into creative work, including entertainment and commerce. Sánchez’s reflections bring those tensions into focus: greater visibility can bring pressure and expectations, while offering a platform for personal and artistic ambitions.
