Instagram, Brands and Women’s Empowerment

Amid our current revival of the fourth wave of feminism, we are seeing more and more women-run brands emerge, especially through Instagram campaigns and marketing. The following brands have taken it upon themselves to promote messages of women’s empowerment. Whether these messages are proudly busting period taboos, promoting a woman’s choice to grow out her body hair, or re-defining what a “fit” body looks like—they each speak to the same motive. All three of the following brands are verified accounts and exceed 100,000 followers, thus demonstrating the impact of empowerment campaigning.

What better way to apply this campaigning method than through Instagram marketing? According to the Pew Research report, more women than men are using Instagram, thus providing brands with the perfect canvas to paint their “girl-power” missions.

THINX– @shethinx

This period-proof underwear brand prides themselves on their washable, reusable underwear that absorbs periods. Their Instagram consists of inspirational quotes, beauty shots of diverse women of all colors, shapes and sizes and Q&As on female health. THINX strives to remove the stigmas many women hold about their period. The brand does this by normalizing period-conversations on their Instagram account.

Billie– @billie

“Razors built for Womankind,” is their motto and they exemplify this by sharing images of women embracing their body hair. Billie has taken the non-traditional approach to promoting their razors in that they don’t push images of women with bare skin, shaving over their bare skin but instead they post women executing their choice to participate in the traditional societal norm, that is shaving. Billie has succeeded in that they don’t make women feel like they need to shave to fit in, but instead they present their product with the idea that women have a choice to do what they want with their bodies. Much like THINX, Billie’s models are diverse in color, shape and size.

Outdoor Voices– @outdoorvoices

This activewear brand has made their mark by reposting consumer images on their Instagram feed. Outdoor Voices has managed to cultivate a community of fitness-inspired individuals through their inspirational and relatable images of everyday people being active. Outdoor Voices doesn’t limit their content to beauty shots of the same three models, but instead they share real individuals using and wearing their products in a variety of ways. This has especially resonated with millennial women in that they feel more confident wearing this brand, since it is more approachable than most activewear.

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