Dear Fellow Content Creators: It’s OK to Speak Up
The recent protests sparked by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others at the hands of law enforcement officers have dominated the news cycle and social media feeds. Recently, I’ve seen a lot of my fellow content creators, particularly those in the cosplay community, express frustration and shock when they’ve decided to speak up in support of the protestors, the families of the victims, and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. They didn’t expect to lose followers over it. They didn’t anticipate backlash at standing up for what they believe in. To be fair, it should not be seen as a controversial statement or belief to say that the lives of Black people matter as much as anyone else’s, or to be against the extrajudicial killings of unarmed citizens; however, this fact is unfortunately lost on those who wish to ignore reality or maintain a harmful status quo. Rather than becoming discouraged by the discovery that you may have unintentionally cultivated an audience of unreasonable bigots, I encourage you to continue using your voice and your platform for the greater good. I encourage you to take this time to look at ways you may have inadvertently made racists, trolls, homophobes, etc. feel safe and welcome in your corner of the internet, and to actively work to ensure that that is no longer the case. If you find that you are hesitant to do so, ask yourself this: Do you really want the support of racists and bigots at the expense of doing what’s right? You are a person, not a content machine. You exist outside of cosplay, YouTube, makeup artistry, etc. Don’t allow people to buy your silence or complicity with a like and a follow.
Why I Speak Up
Let me be the first to say that I am not a “big” content creator. I have a combined total of roughly 25,000 “followers” across Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. That’s a drop in the bucket compared to well known content creators (and less than where I aspire to be, but that is not the point of this post). The point is that I know I wield at least some level of influence as a content creator, and I know that my words and actions have impact. For this reason, I have always been vocal about what I believe in online. I have made sharing my beliefs part of my “brand”, so to speak. I’m sharing my reasons for doing so in hopes that any fellow content creators who are hesitant to use their platforms to speak up on social issues may be inspired:
- I want to do the right thing, and I want to encourage others to do the right thing.
- I have always felt it was better for everyone to know exactly where I stand, and I appreciate when others are the same way. I believe in being honest and transparent.
- Every aspiring artist, influencer, etc. has the ability to cultivate the type of audience they want by using their platform wisely and effectively. For example, as a Black woman who believes in justice, equality, and shutting down bigotry, I do not want bigots in my audience. I don’t want the supports of bigots, and I don’t want to them to feel comfortable with me. I make this clear by communicating this in my content, and I make this clear by moderating my comments and shutting down behavior that I find unacceptable. I actively work to ensure that I do not encourage the presence of bigots, bullies, etc. by condoning or ignoring their behavior.
In 2016, I published my first viral article. It was about issues with racism and blackfacing in the cosplay community .At the time that my article was making its rounds, I made peace with the fact that I may rub some people the wrong way when I speak up on issues that may be deemed controversial. I received a wave of support, but also some considerable backlash from racists and trolls who sought to harass me. “Stick to cosplay”, “keep politics out of cosplay”, etc. were common retorts. The idea that anyone who shares their art cannot also share their opinions or beliefs is absurd to me. Nevermind that art and existence itself is inherently “political”, which is another conversation for another day; the main thing to keep in mind is that none of us exist solely as content creators, and we should not limit ourselves to maintaining some unrealistic, neutral, apolitical, robotic fantasy image of ourselves in order to appease people who do not respect our humanity or the humanity of others. I am entirely ok with the fact that some brands, entities, or powerful individuals may not want to work with me because I use my platform for more than just posting pretty pictures and being someone’s manic pixie cash cow or source of entertainment. The fact that I will attract the right kind of people, the right kind of audience, makes it worth to me. The fact that I can do good, and I have done good, is more important to me.
Since that first “viral” article, I’ve continued to be outspoken about issues in the cosplay community, internet culture, and society as a whole. I do not value the support of people who expect silence or neutrality from me in exchange for it. I don’t feel that maintaining a certain number of followers or even earning a certain amount of money is worth letting injustice on any scale go unchecked. I refuse to play pretend that my voice does matter, and that I can’t be an artist and an activist. If my goal is to influence, then I will use that influence in ways that are beneficial not just to myself, but to others as well.
If you are afraid to speak out, understand that others have been in your shoes, but the more voices we have, the stronger we are. No matter how small you feel your platform is, your voice does matter. If you have a larger platform and fear backlash, look at the smaller creators, particularly those of more vulnerable groups, who are making an impact with less resources and less protection that you have. Imagine how much good you can do by speaking up. You have the ability to reach people some of us cannot. You have people who will support you for doing what’s right. Evaluate your priorities if you consider yourself a good person, if you call yourself an “influencer,” but hesitate to use that influence when it comes to legitimate social issues and causes.
Ways You Can Use Your Platform Right Now
Whether you have been actively doing your part, or are unsure of where to start, here are some resources available to fellow content creators and influencers who want to use their platforms in a meaningful way.
- Share relevant resources with your followers. Here are just a few lists of resources and information relevant to the current protests:
- https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
- https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/
- https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
- https://www.thecut.com/2020/05/george-floyd-protests-how-to-help-where-to-donate.html
- I also encourage you to do research on community bail funds to support in your area
- Lead by example:
- If you donated to a charity or organization, make it known and urge your followers to do the same. Promote it with the same enthusiam you promote your own content. Don’t try to hide it by tucking away in your stories, or making a brief post and then buying it under your other content.
- Shut down any racism, hatred, bigotry, or other unacceptable and counterproductive in your post comments. Educate, moderate, delete, or block depending on the severity. Don’t pretend not to see it. Don’t ignore it. Be vocal.
- Amplify the voices of others who are speaking out. Share their posts. Share their stories. Show support and solidarity in a meaningful way.
- Make a conscious decision to continue to speak up and out when something is not right. Don’t wait until it’s “trendy” to do so. Don’t wait until you get called out, and don’t expect accolades and praise. Do what’s right because simply because it’s right. Make the choice to be active from here on out. You have my support, and the support of so many others.
~DeLa Doll
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DeLa Doll is a culture writer, cosplayer, and artist based in Florida. She has been writing professionally since 2016, with some of her work being featured on sites like HuffPo and /Film. She is an advocate for meaningful diversity and representation in media, a gamer, a mom, and an avid user of DIY hair dye.
