The Best Female Influencers to Follow to Get Empowered
Binge-watching dessert tutorials on BuzzFeed Tasty may leave your mouth watering, but social media has the potential to do so much more as a means to increasing your daily dose of inspiration. Combat mindless scrolling through Instagram by packing your feed with influencers that have an empowering message to share. Whether they preach body positivity, feminism, or political justice, the following five fierce female stars practice positivity online and prove that one should be proud in their own skin.
The former Dance Moms star frequently posts dance photos on her feed with “#bodypositive” to clap back at the body shamers she has faced in the past. In correlation with her song, “Star in Your Own Life,” she preaches that you should own who you are, “cuz your fearless, flawless/You got this.” By sharing unfiltered, unretouched swimsuit shots, Sioux proves that beauty comes in many shapes and sizes, broadening the standards of beauty and encouraging others to post what makes them happy: “So I just want to encourage you guys to not be afraid to wear what you want,” she has written. “Life is too short to be worried about what other people think. If you like something, wear it!” The singer and activist has also explained how you should never try to yourself oneself online, as putting out a false image will only leave you susceptible to criticism. Indeed, Sioux launched a social media campaign called “#RoleModelMonday” to highlight those who are unapologetically themselves: at the start of every week, she shares the story of someone who is dedicated to making a change in the world.
Although Blanchard is well-known for her roles on Girl Meets World and The Goldbergs, her dedication to activism is equally notable. The teen actress has opened up about her identity as gender queer on Instagram, sharing a speech from a book that inspires her coupled with honest words of her own: “I have mixed feelings about my previous time performing social justice online and the fact it allowed me and many to address themselves as activists when maybe that word has lost its meaning, and isn’t something I choose to identify as now or am willing to readopt. I am also hesitant because I’m aware of the inferred empowerment that is encapsulated in the word pride, which isn’t something many queers can access...Pride on this app feels dizzying and covered in campaigns and rainbow objects we can buy, pride in 2019 feels like it doesn’t really belong to queers anymore but to the state.” Blanchard also uses Instagram as an opportunity to highlight friends and famous figures who inspire her, including Amandla Stenberg, Naomi Campbell, Audrey Hepburn, and Lauryn Hill.
Shahidi, who is of both Iranian American and African American descent, not only projects the significance of cultural acceptance on her hit show, Black-ish, but on social media as well. The actress uses Instagram as a means to encourage racial equality and has shared quotes championing her cause. In a caption of a photo displaying Frederick Douglas’ speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”, Shahidi wrote, “And what to the oppressed is a celebration of freedom? A reminder that there is work to be done. This speech from Fredrick Douglas is a reminder that we will come together with loved ones...and continue to fight for equity.” Shahidi also films videos on Instagram to further the message of her self-founded organization, Eighteenx18; her goal is to empower Generation Z to stay informed on global happenings and vote as soon as possible.
The actress (One Tree Hill; Chicago P.D.; Incredibles 2) shares her opinion on photos, speeches, and statistics to raise awareness of topics she cares about, including the Trump administration, equal pay, global massacres, and climate change. Indeed, in the wake of the violence that took place in Sudan in 2019, Bush took to social media to call for change, explaining how “we need to make noise about what is happening on #Sudan. Do not turn away. Do not look away. State sponsored massacres are happening. Please look to the helpers, and help. Spread the word. Call for action. Demand that the world does something to stop this.” In addition, Bush has shared facts about Title X--the only national program dedicated to no- or low-cost health care--with her followers in partnership with Protect X: “Health care is a human right. Reproductive health care is a human right. I stand against the latest attack on reproductive health care. Period. People deserve to hear ALL their options from their doctors, and those options should be kept between patients and doctors only.”
After battling an eating disorder, Foster decided to be open with her followers about her experience and the lessons she learned along the way. The YouTube star has been candid about the thoughts that once went through her mind as she forced herself to put out the ‘perfect’ image on Instagram: “[Here’s a photo where] disordered thoughts started taking over my life. The reality of this photo was me sucking in my stomach so hard I couldn’t breathe…[but] worrying about your body and how people will see it is USELESS. Nobody but you is paying attention to it...and if they are, they gotta go...Let it out, breathe, and remember you are so much more than your flesh.” Foster has even shared before and after shots of her body pre- and post-healing, explaining how her faith in G-d helped her recognize her true self-worth, as well as inspiring those struggling to rely on faith to spark their own recovery: “I didn’t believe I was worthy of love so I almost shrank myself out of existence. Putting on weight was a terrifying thought because that meant I had to let go of the control that was keeping me distracted from my life purpose. All I needed was to know Jesus wanted a relationship with me. He wanted me to trust in Him and hand over my control. He wanted me to see how beautiful I was and start loving myself the way He does. God was pursuing my heart even in my darkest hours so thank you to Him for He never gives up on us.”