As a mother of three and entrepreneur, Natascha Bintz has no shortage of material to post about in her role as an influencer, with over 33,000 followers on Instagram.
The Luxembourger, who grew up in Hesperange, has already lived a thousand lives by the age of 36, having previously worked as a model, actress and events organiser, including appearing in a reality television show in Mexico and representing Luxembourg in Miss International 2015.
Bintz represented Luxembourg in 13 international beauty pageant competitions, which has enabled her to travel the world.
“And that was my goal: I wanted to share our heritage. Many people don’t even know we exist. I wanted to travel, to meet women from all over the world,” she said.
In 2017, she also took part in a reality show, The Game of Love, in Tulum, Mexico, an experience which opened the door to “many opportunities”.
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“The premise of the show was that there were several single people and several people in relationships, and we had to keep our relationship status a secret. The goal was to guess who was single and who was in a relationship,” she said.
I’ve managed to build a fantastic community of women my age, from Luxembourg and France, who share my beliefs and values.
Natascha Bintz
It’s been almost ten years since she became an influencer. And shortly after, seven years ago, she launched her own business. “I’ve managed to build a fantastic community of women my age, from Luxembourg and France, who share my beliefs and values. My focus is largely on family, sustainable living, supporting local businesses and also on not forgetting yourself in all of this, on taking care of yourself,” she explained.
Bintz describes her mission as being “honest with people” and to show “real life” in her posts.
“When you’re a parent, you often feel alone in certain situations, and unfortunately we compare ourselves a lot on social networks. We often see things that aren’t true, or that seem a lot easier than they really are,” she said.
Globetrotter who always planned to come home
Having lived in Paris for seven years and Beirut for two, but also in the United States, the Philippines and Japan, Bintz said to herself that “she would come back to the Grand Duchy when she had her family”.
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She told her partner – whom she knew back in the “era of MSN” – that “if he wanted a serious relationship with me and to start a family, it would be in Luxembourg.”
One of her highlights since coming home was witnessing the change of throne last year. “I’m a fan of the monarchy, and so is my daughter. We were in the front row during the change of throne,” she said, laughing.
Natascha Bintz has been an influencer for almost a decade © Photo credit: Eva Krins
Battle with depression
When she first started out, she sometimes put a lot of pressure on herself, posting “so many stories a day”. But since then, she has decided to let go to preserve her mental health. “I’ve had two bouts of depression in the last five years,” she said, sharing her experiences of difficult times on social media.
“Following that, I was diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). I shared it with my community and received a lot of feedback, especially from people who had experienced similar situations. It made me feel less alone,” Bintz said.
I don’t work with many brands, I say no to a lot of offers.
Natascha Bintz
Bintz is very careful about the collaborations she accepts: there’s no question of promoting a brand that doesn’t share her values.
“You have to dare to make that choice, there are a lot of doors that close. Besides, I don’t work with many brands, I say no to a lot of offers,” she said.
Changing perceptions
For a long time, Bintz said she felt like she was “part of the problem”. “I felt a bit like I was swimming against the current, because I was doing a job that required us to get our subscribers to spend money in order to make a living,” she said.
Bintz is all too well aware that the label “influencer” often has a bad reputation, due in part to the fact that some people promote unethical brands, like those in ultra-fast fashion. “I really wanted to distance myself and not be lumped in with them,” she said.
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Since starting out, her way of working has evolved. “I now work in a different direction. I think it’s partly thanks to this that I’ve been able to collaborate with the Ministry of the Environment, for example. I’m happy because I’ve stayed true to myself,” she said, adding that she was the first content creator to obtain a “responsible influence certificate” accreditation.
Four years ago, her husband joined the adventure, and together they set up their own company: a production firm specialising in content creation. “We work with entrepreneurs and help them develop their social networks,” she said.
Today, Bintz is the mother of a five-month-old, a five-year-old and a seven-year old. So how does she manage to reconcile her life as a wife and mother with her work? “I don’t manage,” she laughed, before adding: “I try to survive. My two oldest children are at school all day, so I can fully enjoy the youngest, because it goes by too fast. I work from home, and that’s an advantage: I juggle housework, the children and content creation,” she explained.
(This article was originally published by Virgule. Machine translated using AI, with editing and adaptation by John Monaghan.)
