Empowering women from all walks of life
Social media influencers can be great sources of strength and positive change in society. They can use creative content, videography and production, to capture inspiring stories. In this digital age where people turn to social media for updates, a local social media influencer wants to make a positive impact through her content creation.
Meet Shania Singh, a 32 – year old who is a prominent social media influencer in Fiji. Born and bred in Suva, Fiji, she comes from a family of five that consisted of two older brothers.
She left Fiji for Australia in 2005 at the age of 14, completed her high school education and graduated from Acting School before returning home to Fiji in 2015
“Upon my return I joined Fiji Fashion Week as a PA to Managing Director Ellen Whippy-Knight who then introduced me to Fiji Television’s Manager International- Karen Lobendahn.
“I was invited by Karen to audition for a Music Video Tv show and was blessed to have gotten the role as Host of the show Groove Thang.
“CEO at the time - Geoffrey Smith then offered me a full-time position with the Fiji Tv Sales team which I accepted and later went on to join their Production team as a full time Producer and Host for multiple shows and projects.
“After spending 6 wonderful years with Fiji Tv, I decided to pursue a career in Social Media content creation which is where I am right now.”
What inspired you into becoming a media influencer in Fiji?
I felt there was a lack of social media creators in Fiji with proper videography/production knowledge and it was during Covid that I really started to pay attention to the gap in the Influencer market in Fiji which led me to consider it my next career move.
What motivates you?
Wanting to make the world a better place and to leave my mark to say I was here and I made a positive impact is what motivates me to keep doing what I do.
Who is your role model? Why? social
Beyoncè. Through every adversity you can think of, that woman has powered through life holding the reins so tight that not a single person on earth could throw her off her horse. The word “No” or “It can’t be done” motivates her to do it even more and prove her naysayers wrong. She inspires me not just artistically but as a philanthropist also. She inspires me to not just “talk about it” but to “be about it”. She inspires me to persevere in a world where the skills and talent of colored women are doubted.
And she inspires me to unapologetically do everything my heart wants to do.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you as a woman?
To me it shows how far we’ve come as a society in retrospect of women’s rights.
Our fight for gender equality, reproductive rights and Violence against women is far from over but a day such as International Women’s Day reminds us of the perseverance of women before us and women right now, that have paved the way for our future generation of women. It is a testament of how strong women can be when we work together towards a collective goal.
As a social media influencer and as a woman, how do you deal with online abuse?
For the most part, my Christian Faith keeps me grounded in my vision. Over the years as a public figure, I have had to have thicker skin because in this industry, people will always have an opinion about you and not everyone will like you but I have learnt that when your mind is set on your goal, everything else is white noise and for the most part, online abuse is like water off a ducks back. However, as tough as I try to be, I am only human and I do struggle sometimes but I am truly grateful to be blessed with amazing family, friends and a partner who remind me of who I am if I’m ever feeling down.
With this year’s theme on Inspire Inclusion, what does this mean to you as a woman?
To me it means empowering women from all walks of life and skill to be included in key positions, in order to make innovative decisions with diverse perspectives.
How do you empower yourself and the women that you work with?
I empower myself by recognizing my strengths and areas of improvement. I refuse to get comfortable with just a handful of achievements and continue to strive for more knowledge and skills to make a greater impact in the world.
With my online platforms, I am able to empower other women by building a community of indirect mentorship.
This is in the form of sharing knowledge of entrepreneurship, encouraging women to speak up, inspiring women to love their bodies and practice self-care, supporting fellow women-owned businesses and addressing gender inequality.
What makes you a strong woman? What fulfils you?
I believe my willingness to continue learning and striving to reach my goals is what makes me strong. Learning to get back up without shame if I’ve fallen is also important, as is standing firm on decisions that you strongly believe in.
My fulfillment comes from witnessing the impact of my strength resonate in other people.
How do you tackle the challenges from a position of strength as a social media influencer?
Firstly by identifying skills unique to me and using that to counter any obstacles.
For example, a lot of my social media content is comedic so with that as a strength, I would use comedy to counter challenging situations. Ofcourse comedy doesn’t suit every situation and where necessary, I would instead use my strength as someone who speaks their mind without fear, to combat these problems.
What are ways men can be good allies? What do we need to do to engage and inspire male advocates?
I personally think that for men to be good allies, we need to educate them on what Women’s rights and gender equality actually is. The misconception is that It is a battle for “more” rights which is false.
The other thing Men can do is spend more time speaking with the females in their circle to better understand the issues these individual women face.
They can challenge their own behavior, put themselves in the position of these women and reflect on how sexist behavior affects females.
Men can also stop objectifying women based on the clothes they wear or what life choices they make such as reproductive and career choice.
And men can avoid speaking/sharing Misogynistic content on social media.
I believe we can inspire and engage male advocates by
■Raisi■g awareness among men on the ways gender equality benefits them.
■E■courage male employees to become mentors, allies, ambassadors, and sponsors, with active roles and responsibilities.
■Support men to become active participants and vocal supporters of gender equality, and publicly speak out against gender-based violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world.
■Creates a safe space for men to talk about the negative impacts of patriarchy and toxic masculinity on men, while identifying opportunities to step out of traditional roles and patterns that don’t serve them.