It can be ridiculously easy to get lost in the overwhelming negativity in online communities. It seems like no matter where we turn on sites like Twitter or Youtube, there are always negative, nasty comments. And it seems like a lot of those comments are usually directed toward teen girls, degrading them and demeaning their passions. It’s been widely circulated in an almost humorous way that girls can’t seem to exist without being shamed for it whether they are just simply enjoying a boy band or a snapchat filter. Digging beneath the surface of the jokes and memes, we do understand that it’s a serious issue. In fact, hateful tweets and comments often undermine a teen girl’s self esteem and make them fearful of sharing their interests or personal hobbies. Living in a world like this, where teen girls just can’t seem to “get it right,” it’s important to have role models who defy outside expectations and encourage others to also live freely. Savannah Brown is a strong personality who has a hefty following on both Twitter and Youtube and she advocates and demonstrates this very phenomenon. Savannah Brown is known on Youtube for sharing feminist content and for encouraging young women (and men, too!) to love themselves for who they are.
You may or may not know her, however, the most important thing here is that you’re about to learn. Savannah Brown got her vast majority of subscribers for making a response video to Nash Grier’s infamous (and now deleted) video of what guys find attractive in girls. Rather than allowing her seventeen year old self to be ashamed for not having the unsurprisingly unattainable traits the three boys declared ALL girls should have, Brown took to Youtube to challenge the boys’ views, producing an inspiring and honest slam poem about the beauty expectations girls face from ludicrously young ages.
From ‘What Guys Look For In Girls’:
“When I first learned that no one could ever love me more than me
a world of happiness previously unseen was discovered
because somewhere along the line of aging and scrutiny and time
I was taught to despise myself
but I made sure I kept myself beautiful so someone would love me someday
so I could belong to someone someday
because that’s the most important thing a little girl could ever want, right?”
According to an interview Savannah did with Local Wolves, the poem went viral instantaneously and her subscriber count went up by eighty thousand. Since the release of the video, Savannah (who is now nineteen) has kept her channel active following up with slam poems on the glorification of eating disorders and calling out the hypocrisy of slut shaming.
From ‘Hi, I am A Slut: A Slam Poem’:
“you’re damn right my body is a temple
i am the god it was built fori am the landlord
and i can let whoever i want live inside ithi, i’m a slut and no, that doesn’t mean
i am nothing but flesh to grab
with your red stained hands
that you’ve sterilized with excuses in case i shout
so when i do you can tell everyone that
hi, i’m a slut and no
and that doesn’t mean i am nothing”
She posts other content aside from poems as well. In a recent video, Savannah discussed the importance of intersectionality in feminism and also did an openly honest and candid video about living with an anxiety disorder. On a less serious note, she posts life tips, fan content, and original music. Earlier this year, she released a book called ‘Graffiti (and other poems)’ which you can find here.
Connect With Savannah:
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