It’s been another crazy week on the internet. With British politics in literal disarray I was weirdly grateful to be gifted the wonderful distraction that was Natalie Beach’s article for The Cut in which she documents her friendship with the minor influencer, Caroline Calloway. If you haven’t yet heard of either of these two women I recommend that you acquaint yourself with Beach’s superbly written piece, just try not to get stuck down the Instagram rabbithole after reading it like I did.
All this influencer drama got me thinking about who we follow and how much they actually do influence us. We all know that social media can greatly impact how we feel about ourselves and our lives. It is all too easy to forget that the people we follow we give permission to shape our digital world.
If you’ve found that regular scrolling has been getting you down lately then it’s time to check out some epic female-run accounts that won’t make you feel like crap. Here are five of my current favourites!
1. sighswoon
Otherwise known as Gabi Abrão, an artist and thinker whose life’s work is to ‘develop a language and positive relationship with the invisible’. Based in LA, her content is a sensuous mix of spiritualism, self-love, personal guides, wholesome memes, text conversations between her and her ‘Higher Self’ and videos of her quietly enjoying a peach… just to name a few. There is a professionalism and depth of emotion to her work that shines through in every post. Come for the memes, stay for words of wisdom.
@sighswoon on Instagram
2. Helen Warlow
A special Twitter gem who radiates light in what can often be a dark and tumultuous sea of negativity and bad news. Warlow posts works of art to her Twitter account several times a day always paired with a short comment about the artist and often with a quick note giving her thoughts on the piece. She speaks without pretension. Her posts are highly accessible, to be enjoyed by all, and her lack of lengthy explanations or opinions regarding the art puts the onus on the viewer to have a personal reaction. Following Warlow is kind of like following your favourite art-loving aunt; occasionally we get little glimpses into her day as she informs us of the weather or which chore she has just finished: ‘Damp today so couldn’t move pots in garden so vacuumed instead…’. This is the definition of real, wholesome content!
@HWarlow on Twitter
3. awardsforgoodboys
Shelby Lorman started this account in 2017 with one simple goal: to call out ‘good boys’ who do the absolute bare minimum to not be ‘bad men’ (eg. Harvey Weinstein) and their toxic brand of faux feminism. Her child-like cartoons expose the thinly veiled misogyny that lies at the heart of many self-proclaimed male feminists. Personal favourites of mine are the ‘IS PROUD OF YOU! (when there’s an audience)’ award, the ‘ONLY WATCHES PORN WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE EVERYONE IS HAVING A GOOD TIME’ award and the ‘IS FEASIBLY “FINE” WITH USING CONDOMS BUT NEEDS YOU TO KNOW IT FEELS LIKE ONE THOUSAND TINY DAGGERS’ award. Lorman is notable for interacting frequently with her fans (and her trolls!) posting screenshots of text conversations, ghostings, DMs etc. Woman should follow her to no longer feel alone and men to learn how to be better.
@awardsforgoodboys on Instagram
@sdlorman on Twitter
4. everyoutfitonsexandthecity
You don’t need to be a die hard fan of the show (but if you aren’t, why not!) to enjoy this Insta-gem run by the fabulous Chelsea Fairless and Lauren Garroni who are on ‘A quest to document every outfit on Sex and the City’. Their pithy captions dissect various looks from the show and the movies (even though we all agree SATC 2 is NOT canon) and they are responsible for the brilliant #wokecharlotte memes in which they confront the problematic moments from the show for a 2019 audience. This is the feminist fashion account you should be following now!
@everyoutfitonsexandthecity on Instagram
5. Helen Simkins
Helen is the best friend you never knew you needed. She is an influencer for aspiring digital nomads everywhere. Her Instagram is a stunning visual document of her life and travels from beautiful beaches in Maui to ethereal frozen lakes in Colorado. She continues to inspire women to find their purpose and make traveling the world a reality, her latest project thenomadinfluence.com is full of binge worthy, educational content for travel loving girls to acquire the confidence they need to take the leap into a location independent lifestyle. If you’re lacking inspiration then check her out ASAP!
@helensimkins on Instagram
www.thenomadinfluence.com
Which accounts do you follow that make you feel great?
