Name: Angelina Musso
Social Justice Group: 2019-2020, Women’s Image & the Media
Date of Fieldwork: January 10, 2020
Name of Organization: Social Media Influencer
Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: Cristen Barker (@ChinTwins)
Type of Fieldwork: Interview
What I did:
We had a call with Cristen Barker, a social media influencer. We asked her questions, for example, Do you ever feel discouraged by people in the media? Do you ever feel empowered?
What I learned:
We learned that social media not only creates ideals for women and girls, but also has the ability to make them feel good about themselves. Social media can be a dangerous place for teens, but there are influencers like the @ChinTwins that show their talent – not their skin or face. The art that they create is through photography and yoga that make others and themselves feel empowered.
What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:
I learned that it isn’t hard to ignore the negative side of women in social media because if you choose the right people to be associated with, you’ll find yourself comparing to others less. What I mean by that is that when you follow someone that has an ideal face/body, it makes you feel sad. However, if you focus on the bright side of what they have achieved or done, you can ignore that. It takes time to make yourself realize that if you concentrate on your body too much – you might end up in a way that you’ll never be satisfied with yourself.
