Two Geelong social media influencers are taking part in an Instagram campaign to promote body positivity and kindness online.
Allira Potter and Deni Todorovic are two of five influencers collaborating with Instagram and the Butterfly Foundation for the #BodyKindOnline campaign.
The campaign aims to educate young Australians on how to navigate likes and comments, how to curate their feed to make Instagram a more positive place, using filters safely, and managing feelings of comparison to friends or influencers.
Research released by the Butterfly Foundation showed 42 per cent of Australians reported using filters to improve how they looked on social media, 62 per cent said they felt pressure to look a certain way on social media and 34 per cent said they wished to look more like influencers.
Ms Potter, a proud Yorta Yorta woman with more than 39,000 followers on Instagram, said she was proud to take part in the campaign to “humanise” social media.
“I signed onto the campaign because I feel like I don’t fit the mould of the majority of influencers,” she said.
“I don’t use filters to change the way I look – I share the good and the bad days, all the lumps and bumps.
“A lot of young people are impressionable … and [I want] to let people know that there are influencers out there that are regular people and you don’t need to compare yourself to people who filter what they show online.
“We want to break down those walls.”
Instagram Asia-Pacific policy programs manager Tara Bedi said the campaign aimed to “reduce pressure on the platform, especially on issues around body image”.
“Through our partnership with global experts, including Butterfly Foundation in Australia, we’re launching safety campaigns and consulting on new tools and policies to ensure we protect the most vulnerable people on Instagram,” she said.
“The new #BodyKindOnline campaign combines clinically-backed advice from Butterfly with tips from some of Australia’s top creators to help young people navigate a safer and more positive body image experience on social media.”
Through the campaign, the five influencers have used videos on their social media to share their own journeys with body kindness and their advice for young Australians on a range of social media topics.
Details: butterfly.org.au/bodykindonline
