Bobbi Althoff has learned that not every opinion deserves her attention.
The podcaster and viral interviewer says stepping away from online comment sections has been one of the healthiest changes she’s made—and it’s shaped how she’s showing up in public now.
“I used to read every comment section about me,” Althoff recently told People. “And now if I see something, I just scroll past it.”
She credits a mix of therapy and hard-earned advice from others who’ve dealt with internet fame up close. “A lot of people who are celebrities reached out and were like, ‘You’ve really got to stop reading comments. It’s not healthy,’” she said.
That mindset shift arrived alongside a moment that pushed her well outside her comfort zone: starring in a Valentine’s Day lingerie campaign for Adore Me.
Althoff admitted she never imagined herself doing a shoot like that and was upfront about how nervous it made her. Still, she decided to lean into the discomfort instead of backing out.
“It was very cute, very unlike me,” she said, laughing about the experience. The surprise wasn’t just how the pieces looked, but how she felt wearing them. “Not necessarily something I’d normally see myself in, but I was pleasantly surprised by how nice they were.”
Althoff’s relatability has always been part of her appeal, and she sees that same quality reflected in the campaign. “I’m not really the poster child for lingerie,” she explained. “If I can wear it and look somewhat OK in it, other people can see themselves in it too.”
She’s also been candid about body image, especially when it comes to cosmetic procedures. Althoff recalled a recent Botox treatment that didn’t go as planned, temporarily affecting her smile right before the shoot.
“I felt so crazy, like I couldn’t smile,” she said.
Looking back, she hopes her openness helps others think twice. “You honestly look good before you do any of that,” she added, noting how easy it is to forget that in a city where enhancements are the norm.
As for the red lingerie at the center of the Valentine’s Day visuals, the message is meant to mark the season—Valentine’s Day, Galentine’s Day, and everything around it—without taking things too seriously. For Althoff, it’s less about selling a fantasy and more about normalizing confidence, nerves and all.
These days, that confidence also means being kinder to herself and far less invested in strangers’ opinions. “I want to touch some grass,” she said, “and realize I don’t need to critique every little part of myself.”