At first glance, Sunny Shan blends seamlessly into the crowd. Standing at 5’2, the raven-haired first year circulates the nightlife scene, often photographed at large-scale music festivals. While the average MoHo recognizes her through classes, she is best known as Sunny Strong, an online brand with nearly 30,000 fans worldwide.
Despite her happy-go-lucky personality, she lived by a high-risk motto for years. “800 calories per day, 110 pounds or less, size 0 or smaller.” Fed up with the self-harm, she created Tumblr persona Sunny Strong to accelerate the recovery process. Her optimistic voice gained instant visibility, spawning life-changing moments in women around the globe. Nineteen-year old Kim claims the blog “inspired [her] to push through today.” Shan proudly receives similar feedback. “Running a blog with so many people that look up to and rely on me for support and information has taught me responsibility. I feel as if my role in the online health and fitness community as a health and fitness blogger is to offer support and wisdom from my experience, to those who need it most.”
Now at peace with her body, she deeply appreciates food. “I’m definitely going to miss the traditional Chinese cuisine I grew up with, but I love Asian fusion-type restaurants. I’m actually pretty excited to sample Boston’s seafood as well- I’ve heard great things.” On a typical day, the average post receives over 150 likes and “reblogs”, where users share the item on their personal page. Inspired by Sunny, Tumblr user milesofbliss photographed her first-ever morning bowl of greek yogurt, berries and granola. With 86 notes, the image has been reblogged over thirty times.
Despite her newfound fame, few classmates knew of her activism. “I was in a [high school] club but never did anyone approach me about Tumblr.. a few close friends knew, but that’s it.” Moreover, her story defies the stereotype of victims as exclusively white, wealthy and emaciated. “Roughly sixty percent of the people at my high school were Asian- within that, the best-represented groups were of Chinese and South Asian descent, with whites comprising about a fifth and both Latinos and African Americans filling in the remaining ten or so percent.” When asked for her ethnicity, she identifies as an American of Chinese ancestry.
Hailing from northern California, Shan migrated across the country with a support system. “My best friend is a track athlete at Smith this year- she’s great at high jumping. We grew up together and we’re really close. We actually didn’t plan on going to school nearby.” Other plans include athletic training, studying the sciences and weekend socializing with Five College students. When asked about her experience thus far, she seems more than eager to represent Mount Holyoke. “I’m definitely enjoying myself thus far. I feel as if I chose the right school!” The social media maven intends on pursuing a pre-medical track, looking to major in neuroscience. Also admitted to higher-ranked institutions, Shan continues to thrive in both the academic and digital spaces.