As a social media celebrity, do you feel the need to use your platform to speak out? Do you find yourself sometimes having to educate your followers about your platform? If so, how does that feel?
To me, “influencer” is a useless title unless you are influencing culture and/or positive change. For me, being an influencer isn’t just about influencing people to make a purchase. I don’t want a platform if I don’t use it. It would be useless for me to have this audience and not try to raise awareness about certain issues or promote social change.
Indigenous communities are the most marginalized people in the world. We are the least reported in the media and politics, and it is sometimes difficult for us to listen to our voices. What better way to amplify indigenous voices and stories than using my platform? We are in the golden age of storytelling. When I was young, the only way to have your voice heard was if you were on TV or in a magazine. Now, we don’t have all the barriers to entry. The gatekeeper of storytelling isn’t the studio executive anymore. We can literally tell our own stories at the touch of a button (or touch the screen). This is a really exciting moment. And I intend to make the most of it.
Do you feel there is an obligation for fashion creators to use their platforms to support and elevate disadvantaged communities?
I think fashion creators or anyone with a background has a responsibility to support and uplift underprivileged communities. Are you hiring people from disadvantaged communities? Are you supporting their work? Are you promoting their work? Take a look around you. Look at the people you follow on social media. Are they the same as you? Do they think like you? Coming from the same background? In the age of social media, I don’t think there’s really a reason to continue being ignorant about cultures or people who are different from you. Extend. Diversification.
With that said, I don’t think fashion creators should use their platform in this way just because they feel like it or they think it would look good for their brand. It should always come from an authentic place. In this case, I don’t think creators should use their platform in this way. Some people really don’t care about social issues. I think the indifference comes from a privileged position, but it’s better to leave them unconcerned than to have an industry full of gimmicks looking to improve their brand or make a lot of money. than. This hurts even more marginalized creators.
