The Five Ways an Illness is Portrayed on Instagram
People are using social media to raise endometriosis awareness, and it’s fun.
There are approximately 176 million women in the world who suffer from endometriosis, and they’re tired of you not knowing what this means. Instead of taking the protest to the street, in true Millennial fashion young women today have decided to take over your newsfeed.
The Influencer
Gabrielle Caunesil Pozzoli is a French influencer and entrepreneur. Gabrielle has it all: the looks, the luxurious lifestyle, a gorgeous boyfriend, a successful ecofriendly fashion line Le Semaine Paris. She also has endometriosis. Gabrielle has lived with chronic pelvic pain for years, her periods rendering her bedridden. As she explained in her teary Instagram videos, like most women who suffer from endometriosis, she had been dismissed by doctors for years. Gabrielle finally got her diagnosis after she realized she was having difficulty becoming pregnant. Gabrielle has since had surgery about which she has spoken very openly on Instagram, urging women everywhere to seek help from highly skilled professionals if they’re experiencing any endometriosis symptoms. Gabrielle has since succeeded in achieving pregnancy and is currently documenting this experience, in her own stylish way. She’s also taking questions from fellow endo sisters who are worried about their own fertility.
The Artist
Solomon Kammer is an Australian painter who has been suffering from endometriosis symptoms for about a decade. For Solomon, her pain is the source of her inspiration. Kammer creates astonishing large-scale paintings which depict the gory truth of endometriosis. Representing not only the subjective feeling of bodily pain but the brutal realities of surgery and gynecological examinations, her paintings are raw, bold and incredibly impressive. Kammer is represented by YAVUZ GALLERY and has shown her work in galleries around the world. Online, she uses her Instagram account not only to share her art and creative process, but to openly discuss the illness behind it. Engaging with her audience via Instagram stories and marking Endometriosis Awareness Month, Kammer is on a mission to demystify the illness and show it unmasked — through art and open discussion.
The Creative Philanthropist
Susie is a talented British cartoonist with a sense of humor that living with chronic pain couldn’t erase. In fact, Susie created an Instagram account called Trutherus to express herself creatively while helping others and dealing with her own pain. Susie’s account is home to adorable cartoons about endometriosis. The stories are told through characters of an endometriosis-ridden uterus, drops of blood, pads, and medical staff shaped as various parts of male genitalia. Trutherus also offers a unique experience: you can commission a you-terus, a cartoon uterus inspired by photos of you. The money raised from selling the customized artwork goes to endometriosis.uk and supports endometriosis research.
The Diarist
Sinead Smythe is a popular blogger who uses her platform to advocate for women with endometriosis. Her website is dedicated to mental health, sex education and reproductive health issues. On Instagram, she’s documenting her life as it is. On some photos we see a fashionista partying, traveling, and simply living it up with her girlfriends, dog and boyfriend. On some of them, though, we see her in hospital beds, curled up on couches, hooked up on IVs. “I don’t look sick right?”, she writes, “The typical thought for somebody who doesn’t understand what an invisible illness is.” Sinead’s social media shows the truth behind living with a chronic illness.
The Educational Meme Page
The Endo Space is an Instagram page led by two friends battling endometriosis together. The feed is made out of illustrated facts about endometriosis, good-to-know information for patients and tips for self-care. It also curates hilarious memes about “period problems” that will make every woman laugh. Occasionally, the women themselves make a show on the profile, updating fans on how they are doing, as well as sharing personal tips and stories. Mixing up educational, creative and funny content, the page is a favorite among women with endometriosis with a staggering 30k followers! Definitely something to put a smile on your face as you lie in bed battling those cramps.
Why Should I Care?
Odds are, you know someone with endometriosis, but they’re hiding their illness, or unable to explain it properly. If you’re female, odds that you yourself have endometriosis are 1 in 10. If you’re reading this, the likelihood of you being an endo sister are even higher. In any case, there’s a world of creative content out there waiting for you to scroll through, and it literally affects all of humanity (seeing as, you know, when untreated it has the potential of rendering10% of human females infertile).
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