5 Influential Women You Should be Following on Instagram

Instagram is a great platform to share creativity and inspire ideas, however, sometimes social media can be painted in a rather negative light due to the ‘fakeness’ and ‘perfection’ it can exude. It is easy to forget that there are plenty of empowering Instagram accounts run by women that use their platform to speak up about issues that matter today. Their accounts voice their opinions about contemporary ideas such as feminism, mental health, self-love and body positivity.

So stop comparing yourself to other women and their perfectly-curated lives and follow these five influential women to freshen up your feed. They are bound to motivate and inspire you!

1. Florence Given

Florence Given is a UK based artist and author that uses her tongue-in-cheek illustrations to address social issues. Her work is playful and has a nostalgic 1970s vibe in which she confronts the oppressive attitudes towards women such as race, gender and sexuality.

Source: @florencegiven

With over 430,000 followers on Instagram, Florence posts her unique illustrations along with short essays and punchy slogans, empowering women to respect their energy and to “be the person no one expects you to be”. My personal favourite is "I am the love of my own life" as it reminds me that I am not someone's 'other half' and I need to live this life for my damn self.

2. Flex Mami

Lillian Ahenkan popularly known as Flex Mami is an African-Australian DJ, Presenter, Plus-size Model and Podcast Host. Flex is a breath of fresh air as she uses her platform to ignite discussions about relevant topics to women, some might even be considered taboo. She is an influencer that actually aims to positively influence her 88,000 followers by preaching self-love, liberation and female empowerment.

Source: @flex.mami

Flex's makeup and style is incredible. On her Instagram feed, her Elton John sunglasses and fun, neon wardrobe successfully reflects her bold and colourful personality. Also, Flex is the creator of the popular, self-development card game, 'REFLEX', and she has a sex and lifestyle podcast called 'Bobo and Flex' which is definitely worth having a look at.

3. Rupi Kaur

Rupi Kaur is an Indian-born, Canadian poet, illustrator and author. She is largely known for her two collections of poems called 'milk and honey' and 'the sun and her flowers'. Her poem's subject matter is universally recognisable and easy to relate to as it explores themes such as love, trauma, healing and gender dynamics.

Source: @rupikaur_ and Pinterest

With 4 million followers her Instagram is pleasing to look at. It is an aesthetic collection of her short poems, all in lowercase, often alongside her illustrations and professional photography. But it is the deep meaning of her content that is bound to leave an impact on you.

4. Chidera Eggerue

Chidera Egguerue AKA The Slumflower is a British-Nigerian writer and fashion blogger. She is popularly known for her empowering book titled 'What a Time to be Alone', which is a motivating guide about self-worth, relationships and mental health. With over 290,000 followers her Instagram focuses on affordable and trend driven fashion , while also using it as a platform to speak up about social issues such as racism, internalised misogyny and body image.

Source: @theslumflower and Pinterest

Due to her brutal honesty and confidence she sparked an ongoing #saggyboobsmatter movement to challenge societal expectations surrounding breasts. As a result, women of all different ages, races and sizes joined her and posted braless photos that didn't necessarily adhere to the media's expectations. Therefore, the Slumflower's Instagram will certainly make you feel empowered to embrace your individuality!

5. Sad Girls Club

Sad Girls Club is an online platform and community created by Elyse Fox. It is run by a diverse group of women that use the account's Instagram feed to bring girls together who are battling mental illness. Their content is refreshing as it is all about reducing the stigma of mental health issues in conversations and guiding young women to develop healthy mental habits and behaviours.

Source: @sadgirlsclub

With 287,000 followers on Instagram, The Sad Girls Club features an array of quotes, illustrations and videos that discuss emotional health by offering advice. They are creating a change in mental health advocacy as Millennials and Generation Z women can easily access and relate to their feed.

With love,

Steph xx