Blogging and social media gives voice to young female artists

It is widely debated whether the emergence of social media and writing for the Internet has created a new level of transparency, or if it works against journalists by providing misinformation. While the latter may often be true, it is also undeniable that the Internet gives a voice to millions of people who otherwise would be silenced by the mainstream media. Young entrepreneurs like Tavi Gevinson, who came to public attention at the age of 12, are able to produce quality material and present it to the public in whichever form they feel works best, without the stigma that surrounds being a young girl.

It seems to me that without the Internet it would be otherwise impossible for a young 12-year old girl to have her opinions heard and taken seriously. Young girls in particular are rarely validated by mainstream culture, which often writes them off as emotional and naive. It is not common that these girls are given a platform to voice their opinions, and Tavi Gevinson's Rookie Mag demonstrates the opportunities available to everyone to have their voice heard on the Internet. 

In this case, the Internet works with feminism to validate the ideas of young artists and entrepreneurs like Gevinson. Her success as a blogger, fashion critic, and even as an actress can be attributed to the opportunities she was given to voice her opinions on her blog since she was young. The Internet provides a creative outlet for young artists to make their work public and have it viewed in the same light and on the same platform as experienced artists.

Speaking as a former young teenage girl, I can validate that being a young teenage girl is hard. It is so difficult to find one's place in the world with constant images of perfection being thrown at girls from all sides - I remember being so completely and totally influenced by the media and its skewed idea of beauty and perfection. Those years for me were full of shame and insecurity as I struggled to find who I am. To do this, I constantly made art. If I had been aware of Tavi Gevinson and her wonderful fashion blogging work, I would have been inspired to be more confident with my own art.

In reality, young girls are resilient, smart, and adaptable. If the art, writing, and opinions of these young girls are taken as seriously as those older and more experienced, it would be much more common that young girls are willing to speak up and present their art without fear or shame. Rather than encouraging constraint and insecurity found in many young girls because of our oppressive culture, the Internet provides a resource for young girls such as Gevinson to be themselves and continue to produce art that encourages the intelligence and creativity of all young girls.

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