W Is For Women
W Is For Women
Social Media is definitely a game-changer, not only when raising awareness for issues, but also when spreading positivity and inspiration. Through the social media campaign #EmpoweredBy, launched by Net-A-Porter, women can share pictures of themselves holding their arms in the shape of an W, while noting the inspirational women that have touched their lives. This campaign is important because it sparks discussion about empowering women and also celebrates inspirational women all over the world.
Media, in general, has largely been known to compare women to impossible beauty standards. There are hundreds of corporate campaigns dedicated to telling women that their lives aren’t good enough, and that’s one of the reasons why #EmpoweredBy sticks out. This campaign is very refreshing, because it focuses on empowering women, it allows them to tell the world how other women have inspired them and helped them shape their lives.
Even though the campaign was started by a retailer, there isn’t a commercial aspect, and that’s certainly very reassuring. Through this campaign, Net-A-Porter had made themselves official as a brand that supports women’s empowerment globally, without attaching their business affiliation to the statement. Several other companies have taken similar strides, with Always’ #LikeAGirl campaign, Pantene’s #ShineStrong, and Verizon’s #InspireHerMind. #EmpoweredBy has mostly taken root on Instagram, where there are hundreds of women using the hashtag and sharing their stories. The campaign participants mention a plethora of people; everyone from moms to best friends to Madeleine Albright are included in the description.
Personally, I think that this campaign is outstanding. I participated in it, and tagged several of my friends as well. It was great to see people posting about proactive things, and it was such a delight to see such inspiring women dig deep and talk about who had encouraged them.
Prathusha Yeruva hails from the Great Lake state and is currently a sophomore at Troy Athens High School. She has an interest in biology and journalism, as well as in female empowerment. She founded a She's the First chapter at her high school (an organization that sponsors girls' education in the developing world), and that opportunity has definitely given her a more developed lens on women's issues globally. In addition to writing for Her Culture, she also writes for the women's issues column at She Speaks Media. She challenges herself academically with AP classes, participates in a wide variety of clubs, and values her Indian culture. In her free time, Prathusha drinks an abundance of coffee, listens to indie bands, and uses ampersands & parentheses excessively. She's so excited to be writing for Her Culture!