F*ck Your Norms: How Young Artists like Rowan Blanchard and Amandla Stenberg Are Changing How We Think About Activism
It’s no secret that teens today are more engaged in social media than any other generation… but does this have to be a bad thing? For artists Amandla Stenberg and Rowan Blanchard, it is the exact opposite. These two young women have already made contributed towards a huge shift within our political and socio-economic environment, and they haven’t even turned 20 yet.
To Amandla, her social media platforms are a mega-phone pointing right in the face of those who do not challenge everyday thinking. Boasting 1.5 million followers, she often posts about issues such as #blacklivesmatter, trans rights, Indigenous rights, and today’s portrayal of female sexuality. She proudly embraces her African-American culture and regularly sports black hairstyles on her Instagram, such as cornrows or box braids. A huge part of being an activist, is to not be afraid of making people uncomfortable. Making people uncomfortable is what caused all major changes in history. In early 2015, Stenberg made a 4-minute video for her high school class talking about how white people of privilege cash in on black culture (i.e. Miley Cyrus using black women as props in her music videos or Kylie Jenner wearing cornrows). She has spent year after year utilizing her vast social media platforms to cause a disruption within our society. She sees an issue she is passionate about and immediately elaborates on it with her 2 million followers on Instagram and Twitter.
Rowan Blanchard is three years younger than Stenberg and has three times the amount of followers on social media. Some might be worried giving a 16 year old an online platform of 6 million followers, but Blanchard is making the absolute most of it. She was just 15 when she spoke in front of thousands of marchers at the Women’s March on Washington. She outlined that feminism has to be intersectional and inclusive, or else it isn’t feminism. She also spoke about how positive change comes from confrontation of biases, even if you’re confronting people you love. Blanchard regularly outlines the power of young people and how they have an intelligent voice even when older people refuse to listen. Her Instagram page is littered with thought-provoking pieces on intersectional feminism, sexual abuse, LGBTQ+, and female sexuality. As Rowan stated in an interview with Teen Vogue, “That’s where people can start: reading these things by people that maybe they otherwise would have been scared by, or watching movies that are independent, made by women about radical topics. It’s really important to be conscious of what you’re putting in your system.”
Some old-fashioned activists might call social media activists such as Stenberg and Blanchard “slacktivists” merely because they are promoting their activism through social media outlets rather than on the steps of city hall. Why is this a bad thing? Young people around the world are causing disruption, making issues trend, and even causing shifts in the political atmosphere, just from the tips of their fingers.
These young artists and activists have something to say, so we should all listen up. And no, they do not care what you think about them.
Instagram: @emmamackattack
Twitter: @emmamacklin_
