International Women’s Day

Yesterday was International Women’s Day, a global day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day is a focal point in the movement for women’s rights and also marks a call to action in accelerating gender parity. More and more people are taking up this call to action every year. According to  Wearisma’s social buzz insight tool #Internationalwomensday has increased in popularity by 67% year on year since 2018. Social platforms provide us with a great opportunity for women to use their online presence for positive change. For example, we have seen this over the past year with Greta Thunburg (@gretathunburg). Despite her youth she has made a huge splash online, holding global leaders to account for their inability to initiate any significant change towards creating a sustainable future. Similarly, Tarana Burke (@taranajaneen) who founded the #Metoo movement also showed how powerful women can use social media to tackle serious issues like sexual abuse and give a voice to the voiceless.

To show our support, and to celebrate the day Wearisma’s team have shared the female voices that have had the greatest impact on us.

I find Chessie King (@chessiekingg) inspiring because she doesn’t take herself too seriously and she shows women on her platforms that you don’t have to conform to the pressures from the media. She also encourages self love, which is very important to me. This post I found to be the most impactful because it promotes anti bullying. It conveys that you shouldn’t change yourself for others, because no matter what you do you can’t please everyone.

I love Adriene Mishler (@adrienelouise) because she encourages you to be authentic, to love yourself and to ‘find what feels good.’ Her posts include positivity, yoga exercises and inspiration – which I believe we need to see a lot more of on social media platforms! This post impacted me deeply, as it was a reminder to step away from our phone screens from time to time, and to really enjoy being in the present!

Ricarda Emilia (@ricardaemiliaa) is the most inspiring for me. She inspires me through her confidence, her personality and her lifestyle. She also focuses on positive energy and lives her best life, a page everyone should take from her book because life is too short! Unfortunately, the most impactful piece they posted has been removed but it was her first YouTube video, which symbolized dedication, motivation and a new beginning as she was just starting up her YouTube career.  However, enjoy her most viewed video, a prank on her parents!

Iskra (@iskra) is a British model whose transition through the industry continues to inspire me. I love her vibrant, positive content that promotes genuine self-care and body confidence while always reminding her audience not to take life too seriously. I saved this post a couple years ago and regularly look back at it. The dress, the food, the location – I can only hope to recreate the #postredcarpetbun in New York one day.

Elizabeth Whibley (@elizabethwhibley) inspires me. She is an artist and designer, who creates unique and fun pieces and content. On top of that the way she lives her life is inspiring, she follows a plant based diet, lives her life as sustainable as possible, and focuses on slow rather than fast fashion. Her motto “pink + plant based” is something I also aspire to live my life by. This post was impactful to me as she donated all the money from the purchase of the print to ‘Mercy for Animals’ as part of Veganuary.

Sadia Badiei’s (@pickuplimes) voice inspires me the most. She’s a Canadian nutritionist currently based in the Netherlands, whose YouTube channel focuses on ways to lead a sustainable, healthy and happy life. Despite not being vegan myself, I find her content practical and thoughtful, without being preachy and purely aspirational, and her videos include vegan recipes which I’ve really enjoyed making (and eating!). I love chocolate, and this video was probably one of the first things to encourage me to try making more vegan food.

Venetia La Manna (@venetiafalconer) is the most impactful to me. I like her as she’s a ‘recovering hypocrite’, meaning she’s real and honest about not being perfect but working at it. I like that in influencers, not just showing the ‘ glamour’, but the truth. She’s also very outspoken about climate change and sustainability which I admire. I loved this post as it’s about how she’s trying to stop her own bad habits, and more importantly how she does it without being aggressive.

Ade Hassan (@itsadehassan), the founder of Nubian Skin inspires me greatly. Her business acumen and her company which allows people of all skin tones to find truly ‘nude’ attire is super inspirational. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her in real life and she is extremely kind and supportive. This picture with her in Nubian Skin’s TFL campaign is a favourite of mine. Seeing such a beautiful representation of diversity on my daily commute made me and many black women like me feel seen and celebrated!

Dolly Pawton (@dolly_pawton) is a voice which has had a significant impact on me. Despite her being a dog she inspires confidence, which is so important! I love this piece of content as it is funny and also provides confidence and reassurance to those who are struggling in life.

Oprah Winfrey (@oprah) is a huge inspiration of mine because she was influential before being an ‘influencer’ was even a thing, she wrote the blueprint. This post in particular reminds me of my younger days, hearing people treat Oprah’s book recommendations as gospel! The impact she had and continues to have is incredible.

Doña Angela has impacted me the most. She has a cooking channel from Mexico. Her channel which has amassed over 2 million subscribers is a testament to the power of social and how the internet has revolutionised the lives of millions around the world. I tried to make what was in this video, and failed miserably.

Peggy Gou’s (@peggygou_) voice has such a massive impact on me. As well as hugely admiring her music, I love how she promotes sustainability and gender equality, which are two topics I deeply care about. I love this post not only for its aesthetic, but because it promotes Potato Head, a sustainable fashion brand!

Eva Chen (@evachen212) has been a massive influence on my life. I love how down-to-earth and witty she is! I believe she inspired many women in their professional careers and family life. I love this piece of content as it conveys the struggles we all face in life, which is very different from most of the fashion editors and mega celebrities.