Georgie Harris
Georgie Harris has embraced the art of sharing but in a more profound way than most. Having lost her beloved father to suicide almost five years ago, when she was in her early 20s, Georgie has gone on to share her personal experiences with grief, aimed at encouraging wider conversations around mental health.
Alongside dealing with her own journey through this time, Georgie also engages in powerful discussions around toxic beauty advice on Instagram and the added responsibility that comes with having a significant following on social media.
A spokesperson for Dove’s recent #DetoxYourFeed campaign, Georgie is helping parents and their children navigate social media. The Dove #DetoxYourFeed campaign is part of the Dove Self-Esteem Project, which also offers free workbooks and tools.
How and when did you first get involved with social media?
I frequently started posting on social media about my personal experience with grief and what that was like to lose a parent in your early 20s. It opened up a lot of important conversations both online and offline, and I have since gained such a beautiful online community from sharing my personal journey over the past four-and-a-half years. I love sharing daily bits of my life and the highs and lows that come with it, as well as having amazing conversations with the community I now have online.
Some info on your personal experience with social media
Social media is a LOT and at times, it feels like it’s all too much, all at once. I was first on social media when I got Facebook in 2010 when I was 14 or 15. It definitely wasn’t like it is now back then. I was also frequently on Bebo or Tumblr, which was heavily focused on personal blogs and less on heavily advertised content. I was definitely exposed to a lot of toxic beauty trends, which were circulating around the internet when I was in high school and those made me question my own beauty and who I was as a growing young woman. What is now seen and known as harmful #fitspiration and #thinspiration content was frequently seen throughout blog posts and without monitoring or anyone really bringing to light the potential dangers of these being in among the social media space. It’s sad for me to think back on that there was a time when I did think that I wasn’t beautiful (more often than not) when we are all so beautiful in our own unique ways.
When you look at social media in 2023 and the rapid fast access we have to it all, at the click of a button, it really is quite unbelievable to understand the sheer volume of information that can be seen in such a little amount of time.
Why do you feel strongly about the Dove #DetoxYourFeed campaign?
More than ever before, the conversations that we have around social media are so important. I only wish there were conversations or campaigns such as the Dove #DetoxYourFeed when I was in high school. For parents and caregivers to have the tools and be equipped with the knowledge around social media use is vital and can be a big shift to turn a scary or unknown conversation into an empowering one.
I was a young girl when I clearly remember seeing a Dove advert on television for the first time. It was women all lined together in a row and they were all from different backgrounds and ethnicities. Each of them were so proud of their body and how it looked. That advert was really influential to me, as I have thought about it often over the years growing up. To work alongside an incredible brand that speaks and researches these issues to ensure other young girls are supported and their caregivers mean the world to me. If I had young teens or children on social media, I would be proud and confident to sit down with them after reading through the four-step toolkit Dove has put together to equip caregivers to have these conversations. The research that has gone into this campaign shows that three in four Kiwi girls would like their parents or caregivers to talk to them about how to manage idealised beauty advice. Communication is key.
What gave you the strength to speak out about your own personal experiences with suicide and grief?
I felt incredibly alone when I lost my Dad to suicide at 23. It was a confusing grief to navigate, and I wanted to feel connected to those who had sadly been through a similar experience. I remember searching through the internet a few days after he passed, for people or stories who had been through something similar and I struggled to find what I was looking for.
I wanted to not only allow myself to be vulnerable but also for others to see just how common it is to walk a pathway with similar grief and to feel ultimately connected. I never expected so many people to relate, but it just goes to show how we as humans feel a deep connection with those who can relate to us and who hold empathy for the stories that we share.
What are some of the positives that have come about through sharing your story?
By sharing my journey of grief and everything in between on social media, I have met some of my very best friends and I am so thankful for that. The experiences I have been involved in and the people I have now come to know is really quite overwhelming and special. I have only ever been who I am both outside the social media space, as I am online. I want people to come into the space of my social media pages and to feel safe, seen, and confident in who they are, always. I have learnt a lot about myself along the way about what I enjoy sharing and how I love to connect with people within the space of social media. This journey of navigating and sharing such a personal part of my life online hasn’t always been easy, but I am endlessly thankful for the opportunity to do so and for being able to connect with many people, not only in New Zealand but also around the world.
Some personal experience that has shaped your attitude around social media and tips for others on how to navigate this space
There is an unspoken ‘power’ that I have come to learn that the follow button holds in the social media space. It’s a strong invisible tie that links us to hundreds and thousands of different creators and businesses around the globe and oftentimes. I know that by following someone who doesn’t quite align with your values or beliefs, over time, the content we see can have us question our own way of how we live our lives or who we aspire to be. Knowing that it is okay to unfollow or even mute someone if you do feel unaligned with what they are sharing is important.
I love following creators who are fun, carefree, and unapologetically themselves, as well as being kind. I know that those who I follow in the social media space, I would say that I would be proud to be their friend if the relationship wasn’t via the online world we live in, and I think that’s something important to be aware of.
What is some of the most valuable meaningful advice you have received?
That being kind to yourself above everything else is one of the greatest gifts that you can give to your mind and your body. Our beautiful bodies are our home, and we are all so uniquely beautiful in our own way. My nana is a really influential person to me, and I have grown up with her only ever speaking kindness about her body, and I love that she taught me so much about the power of natural beauty and being proud of how we look.
What are some learnings/changes you hope might come about through the Dove?
I want young girls and teens to feel empowered and confident in the way that they look. I want parents and caregivers to know that there is helpful information out there, which Dove has put together, that can and will change how our children view the world of social media. I only ever want girls to feel empowered in the social media space, and although it is a very big world out there, the conversations around detoxing our feeds and either unfollowing, muting, or blocking an account that doesn’t quite align with who we are and our values is a vital step (and actually really empowering) to having a positive relationship with our social media and the way we use it.
As Dove has previously said, they are helping young people raise their self-esteem and realise their full potential. We are all so uniquely beautiful, and it’s important that we all understand and acknowledge this and fill our social media feeds with content that brings us joy, new learnings in a positive way, and is also uplifting. To be able to jump onto your social media, whether it’s Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, and know that you’re following amazing, uplifting, and positive accounts changes the way we can, over time, receive unwanted unsolicited advice that we know can be damaging and harmful. I am proud to work alongside Dove to help share these important conversations.
Images supplied