How 800m voices are reshaping fashion

This week, Eva Chen, one of Instagram’s most influential fashion forces, hosts a panel talk on diversity with Grazia’s editor Natasha Pearlman. She explains how social media is transforming fashion

WE’RE LIVING in the age of personality. Aesthetic ‘perfection’ used to be what drove engagement on Instagram but, these days, what people are responding to – and more deeply connected with – is authenticity and diversity. They want to be shown something real, not just the highlights.

Of all the different cultural categories, fashion probably has the most potential to be overly produced and filter-ised, but designers, models and stylists have beome some of the most original voices on Instagram. Model Ashley Graham is a great example of the power of being herself. Of course, she’ll post super-glam shots, but she’ll also put up a picture where she’s wearing a bikini with the caption ‘Nope, I’m not going to hide my cellulite.’ When you show all sides of your life, it’s compelling.

In 2017 you can’t not take a stand, not have an opinion and a voice about global and human rights. If all you post is pretty avocado toast shots, people will look elsewhere for a feed that speaks to their real lives, concerns and passions. Fashion has risen to the challenge of this time by making statements. Think about Maria Grazia Chiuri’s ‘ We Should All be Feminists’ campaign for Dior or Prabal Gurung’s activist-inspired ready to wear collection or Adwoa Aboah’s female empowerment project Gurls Talk, or vlogger Jake Jamie’s #makeupisgenderless campaign.

And, beyond individuals, brands are using Instagram to provide incredible transparency through behind-the-scenes access. This means a girl from a small town outside Leeds can see Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim from Oscar de la Renta making one of the A/W ’18 runway dresses. Instagram has ended up being a very real, diverse place to pursue your interests, learn about the world and find a community.

When I was a kid, there weren’t a lot of people that looked like me in the fashion culture. It was literally Christie Brinkley, Christy Turlington, all the beautiful Christys! It felt like there was only one kind of beauty and I remember thinking, where are the people who look like me? But now, you can be in Tokyo and find someone who has the same interests as you in Tulsa. Part of my responsibility on Instagram is that I will talk about the fact that I’m a firstgeneration American, a child of Chinese immigrants – the response I get from sharing those moments is so meaningful.

Honestly, designers, brands and culture curators can’t get away with not representing the world accurately because people will call them out. It’s a reckoning. The brands that are making huge strides in diversity, whether it be Ashish’s multicultural catwalk or L’oréal’s #Yourstruly campaign, are getting a bigger global response because fashion lovers want to engage and support them.

That feeling of community and connection is what makes Instagram special. I was talking to the actress Yara Shahidi recently about how much #naturalhair means to her and how it unites a lot of the girls and women that follow her. It makes me think about how if, in my teen years, Instagram had existed, I would have been a lot more of a confident person earlier on.

We all have a role. If you have a platform, whether that’s 50, 5,000 or 5 million followers, it’s your responsibility to have a voice – you can effect change by being brave and bold, celebrating diversity, holding people accountable and, most importantly, having an opinion. Eva Chen is director of fashion partnerships at Instagram