I resisted getting Twitter and Instagram for a long time. For one thing, I simply didn’t want to go through the rigmarole of setting one up, and for another I thought the content was unnecessary and superfluous—didn’t Facebook fulfill the same functions? Also, I was worried Twitter would be filled with the minutiae of people’s days, but that really isn’t the case. A few things changed this summer: I wanted to be more connected to people after a period of relative isolation, I wanted a place to show off pictures, and I wanted to follow Lin-Manuel Miranda on Twitter. I fulfilled all three of those desires and learned to embrace the opportunities for interconnectivity Twitter and Instagram offer. Most importantly, I’ve found a bunch of awesome women to follow who make me laugh, engage with the world, and feel good about myself! Here’s a list of some of my favorite ladies to follow:
1. Samantha Power
Twitter: @AmbassadorPower
Facebook: Facebook.com/AmbassadorPower
Samantha Power is the United States Ambassador to the United Nations and travels around the world advocating for human rights and speaking about diplomacy and world affairs. She posts about the projects she’s working on and different causes she feels merit attention.
2. The Women of Orange is the New Black
*Instagram links on their names.
Is this cheating? Perhaps, but I had too much trouble picking just one of the many amazing women who act on the show to feature. Dascha Polanco plays Daya and exudes positivity and self-confidence in her body in her pictures on Instagram. Laverne Cox plays Sophia and advocates for the Trans community, as well as posting fabulous photos of herself. Lea DeLaria, Danielle Brooks, Kimiko Glenn, Jessica Pimentel, Yael Stone, Jackie Cruz, Selenis Leyva, Samira Wiley, Laura Gómez are all wonderful as well.
3. Daniela Andrade
YouTube: Daniela Andrade
I first heard of her in a rather roundabout way, when a friend of hers was featured on Humans of New York and mentioned that he had recently sung with her. Daniela sings lovely, stripped-down covers of major songs (my favorite: Crazy in Love, originally by Beyoncé) as well as her own work.
4. Tahereh Mafi
Instagram: @taherehmafi
Twitter: @TaherehMafi
Tahereh is a bestselling young adult author who wrote the Juliette Chronicles (first book: Shatter Me), which are going to be made into a TV show, and recently came out with a new book called Futhermore. Currently she’s traveling on a joint book/movie tour with her husband Ransom Riggs (Kenyon alum and author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children).
5. Tessa Violet
YouTube: Tessa Violet
A singer-songwriter who started out doing lip-sync videos on YouTube. In recent years she’s moved to singing her own music by herself and with guests. She also posts vlog-style videos about life that are big-sister-like and full of good life advice. Tessa’s Twitter is great as well.
6. Riley Redgate
Twitter: @RileyRedgate
Riley Redgate is the pen name of Ríoghnach Robinson, a very recent Kenyon alum (Class of 2016!). She is the author of Seven Ways We Lie, a very witty, heartfelt YA novel about seven kids in high school who are all mixed up in a scandal that’s rocking the school. Her Twitter is fantastic—it’s full of funny day-to-day observations, as well as insights into a working author’s life, and observations about current affairs. Riley also runs the incredible Eldritch T-Swift account which takes Taylor Swift lyrics and gives them a horror twist, which is just as amazing as it sounds.
7. Leslie Jones
Instagram: @lesdogggg
Twitter: @Lesdogggg
One of the cast members of Saturday Night Live and the recent Ghostbusters remake, Leslie Jones posts hilarious updates and videos about her day and what she’s reading or watching at the moment. This past summer she got super into watching the Olympics and posted something almost every hour, whether it was words of encouragement to Team USA athletes or short videos of her reactions to events. Overall, Leslie is an energetic, fun presence that brightens up my Twitter feed.
8. Fiona Staples
Instagram: @fionastaples
Tumblr: fionastaples.tumblr.com
Fiona’s posts are, alas, few and far between, but I include her because she’s the artist of my favorite comic series, Saga, and when she does post she puts cool sketches and work she’s done.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKUymlYD_nJ/?taken-by=fionastaples
9. Bethany Denner
Instagram: @yogawithbethany
Full disclosure, Bethany was a flatmate of mine when I was in England. Bethany has a yoga Instagram where she posts daily poses and sequences that she’s working on. Her work ethic and dedication encourage me to move my body and make it stronger. Not only are Bethany’s photos are beautifully composed, she also is encouraging and gives good advice for anyone looking to start their own yoga journey.
10. Mara Wilson
Twitter: @MaraWilson
Well-known for her portrayal of Matilda in the eponymous movie, Mara has become a published author and is featured on Welcome to Night Vale as the voice of the Faceless Old Woman. Her Twitter feed is full of witty observations and retweets of other interesting people.
The women that I’ve featured are just a small fraction of the many amazing ladies represented on the internet. I don’t really use Tumblr, so I didn’t include anyone who uses that as their main platform. I also didn’t include many journalists, scientists, writers, or women who are mainly photographers. If you know of, or follow anybody who fits those categories, please comment below! I love learning about new people. I did ask some friends for suggestions as a way to balance my own choices, so a bonus here are some more women that they follow:
Viola Davis
Twitter: @violadavis
Instagram: @violadavis
The Emmy-winning star of How to Get Away With Murder is an all-around incredible woman.
Arden Cho
Twitter: @arden_cho
Instagram: @arden_cho
Arden plays Kira Yukimura on Teen Wolf and is an actress, singer, and model.
Hilary Duff
Twitter: @HilaryDuff
Instagram: @hilaryduff
Best known for her role as Lizzie McGuire on the TV show of the same name, Hilary is also an author, singer, and mother.
Yulin Kuang
YouTube: Yulin Kuang
According to Megan Otto, Yulin is “Fantastic independent filmmaker on YouTube.”
Rosianna Halse-Rojas
YouTube: missxrojas
Emily Daluga says that she is a “rad feminist YouTuber.”
Savannah Brown
YouTube: savanamzing
Savannah is a YouTuber who does slam poetry.
Ashley Graham
Twitter: @theashleygraham
Instagram: @theashleygraham
Gabrielle Ivanier says, “She’s“a plus sized model whose stunning and who to me, validates the fact that my body too can be beautiful just cause I’m not a size 0.”