Social Media Analysis
Serena Williams does a great job breaking down the barriers of gender, as well as
promoting self-confidence, inclusivity, and body positivity. Her support of young girls in sports
seems to be endless, which is seen in her Instagram post on August 28, 2019, where she teamed
up with Lincoln and posted a video about her journey of mentoring young women. In the
caption, it reads: "By age 14, girls are dropping out of sports at twice the rate of boys. Many of
these young athletes drop out due to a lack of positive role models." (Instagram, August 28,
2019). This type of support helps to break down the social construct of gender in sports and
makes female athletes, especially young women, feel empowered and as if their ability is
limitless. Her confident and body positive behavior is seen in her Instagram post on December
13, 2019, where she posted a video of her discussing her new clothing line and saying with the
caption: "We all have different bodies, personalities and backgrounds, but we can all feel
confident and fierce when wearing clothes that we love and feel great in." (Instagram, December
13, 2019). By showing this side of her mentality through social media, it reminds her following
that regardless of their flaws they are valuable. She also shows great involvement in her
daughter, Olympia's life throughout her Instagram, which can be seen throughout her timeline
(Instagram, November 11, 2019).
Stephen Curry is a good example of an influencer and athlete who helps to break down
the barriers of gender. He has talked countless times on how the birth of his daughters has helped
to open his eyes to the lack of equality. Curry and his wife have their own foundation called Eat
Learn Play, which Curry broadcasted on his Instagram through a video post on December 3.
2019. This foundation promotes healthy, safe spaces of an active lifestyle and priorities education
amongst children throughout communities they have teamed up with. They also discussed the
importance of having a blend of genders to make sure there is equal motivation (Instagram,
December 3, 2019). By the Curry's having this organization, it helps to promote healthy youth,
an equal playing field, and how to show respect in a mixed-gendered sport environment which he
also had talked about back in July (Instagram, July 19, 2019). Back in October, Curry teamed up
with an Oakland High School to help to empower their female students by surprising them with
game tickets and spotlighting local organizations that are making a difference in girls' lives
(Instagram, October 11, 2019).
Overall, these two examples do a great job of helping to break down social barriers in
relation to gender and sport. They also stand for great other positive messages that they express
on the daily, helping to make them great role models for young men and women alike.