Gemini Nia is like a ray of sunlight. Positive, ever-smiling and full of empowering mantras, the model and influencer is all about giving out those good vibes on and offline. In fact, her Instagram account is a sure-fire pick-me-up for anyone who finds themselves on it.

But as well as speaking openly about society’s beauty standards, Nia has even started her own hashtag #MyRealSelfSeptember to promote people using Instagram as a positive space and to dispel the culture of editing images. 

After starting the campaign last year, Nia says she encouraged people to upload pictures of their true selves, behind the filters, make-up and creative angles. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with women all over the world sharing body positive images of themselves using the hashtag.

A year on, Nia says she’s learned three key things about making social media work for you. She says: “Although social media can be seen as a dangerous place that makes you feel bad about yourself, I think there’s an amazing, positive side to it. These are my tips to making social media a positive place.”

Follow accounts that make you feel good

“Take the time to invest in your space. I think it’s so important to make sure on your feed you see positivity and you see unfiltered images. This could be accounts that show you their realistic lifestyle, among the glamour of it all. That will help you just become more confident within yourself.”

Unfollow harmful accounts

“Also make sure that you unfollow accounts that do not inspire you or do not spark joy. I had to unfollow accounts that were Photoshopping their skin and their blemishes as this made me feel like I wasn’t good enough. 

“I’d literally spend hours smoothing out my bacne scars, making my hair bigger and even resizing my waist and hips. So now when I follow women who show their scars or who show their stretch marks I feel empowered.”

Find your community 

“This can be women who perhaps have natural hair or are into gaming or who share positive messages about their body. Find that community that uplifts you for the things that make you feel good and you’ll notice how much you’ll really enjoy your experience on Instagram.”

Watch the full video above. 

Images: Instagram