Instagram & NEDA team up on #ComeAsYouAre
Instagram has always been a place for exploring your passions, sharing your interests, and connecting with the people and things you love. We want you to feel comfortable to express yourself, and to feel enriched and empowered as an individual by what you experience.
Sometimes, however, the content you see on social media can make you feel pressured to present a perfect or unrealistic version of your life — or maybe you find yourself comparing your life and body to others.
That’s why Instagram and NEDA have teamed up this NEDAwareness Week on #ComeAsYouAre, a movement to let individuals at all stages of body acceptance and eating disorders recovery know that their stories are valid, and to encourage them to share their whole stories – the real, the mess, the un-perfect moments.
Together, we gathered five incredible people for a video to talk about how they choose to #ComeAsYouAre and bring their full selves to their on and offline communities. These community members are pushing back on the concept that social media is a place for a “perfect” life — that instead it can be a place for the real moments, flaws and all, and for discovering communities of support.
INSTAGRAM x NEDA: A Guide for a Healthy and Positive Experience on Instagram
Instagram and NEDA also co-created a guide to give you the tools and information you need to ensure your time on Instagram is healthy, supportive, and empowering.
This resource was then used as inspiration for several creative graphics, illustrated by @thisfeelsnice, for the community to share and spread the word on Instagram.
Every day, people on Instagram connect through shared interests and compassion, and forge communities of support to overcome challenges and aid in recovery. These incredible communities are redefining body standards, inspiring confidence and building a culture of positivity. Keeping Instagram a safe, positive and supportive space is our greatest responsibility — and partnering with incredible organizations like NEDA is an important way to do that.
We invite everyone, especially those whose stories have not been widely recognized, to have the opportunity to speak out, share their experiences, and connect with others: to #ComeAsYouAre.
Karina Newton is Head of Public Policy at Instagram. In her role, Karina works with a number of teams across Instagram to ensure they create products which uphold the safety, security and privacy of Instagram’s community. Karina also leads the development of policies which govern Instagram, to ensure it is a safe and open space for people to express themselves. Lastly, Karina leads Instagram’s global policy team – responsible for creating programs and initiatives which celebrate the diversity of opinion and culture across Instagram’s community of one billion; from campaigns to celebrate body positivity on Instagram, to working with non-profit organizations to create tools and resources for those seeking support around a range of issues.
