I Know It’s Weird, but My Hero is an Instagram Influencer
I promise it’s not as bad as it sounds.
Like other Gen Z-ers, I’ve had Instagram for a long time. I think I was 12 when I first downloaded the app, designed my profile, and started posting the more horrifically edited photos, complete with awful filters and unnecessary borders. And of course, I had to follow my friends and my family and a bunch of celebrities that I wanted to keep up on. I followed actors, Youtubers, and Viners (yeah, I’m that old).
Unfortunately, no one tells 12-year-olds that some people on Instagram aren’t there to be your friends. They’re there to profit off of your insecurities. They’re there to make sure you don’t feel good enough, or pretty enough, or skinny enough. And they’re really, really good at what they do.
As I got a little bit older, it got easier to tell who made me feel like that, especially on my social media accounts. So I unfollowed them. For a while, I was really frustrated. I unfollowed people left and right. It seemed like there was hardly anyone good to follow, until I came across The Birds Papaya.
Sarah Nicole, who goes by thebirdspapaya on Instagram, initially gained fame by losing over 100 pounds in a matter of months. But when she lost weight, she realized that her shame and insecurity didn’t go away. Now, she’s a body-neutral activist: she advocates for celebrating our bodies because of what they do for us rather than what they look like. She’s raw, she’s honest, and she’s an example of giving yourself grace. In other words, she’s a healthy influencer to follow.
So yeah, it’s a little bit weird that I consider some influencer I’ve never met my hero. But Sarah has helped me, maybe more than anyone else, have a positive relationship with my body. For me, and other people my age (especially women), that influence is invaluable.
You can follow Sarah on Instagram at this link and check out her blog here.
