Phyllida Martignetti, 20 from Cambridge decided to start her own campaign, called #30DaysOfNormal in March/April 2016 to raise awareness on the false images women and men are portrayed as in the media.
She claims it's all 'fake' and wanted to show the world how women 'really look like', on a 'day to day basis'.
What made you want to start the social media campaign?
I wanted to start 30Days because I really wanted to encourage women to share realistic photographs of themselves. We can all get stuck into the senseless loop of seeing the highlight reels of other people's doctored social media pictures and I wanted to put pictures out there that were me as I honestly appeared - glasses, spots, bed-hair. No filters, no photo-shop, no editing of any kind. An important feature of it though was that it didn't involve no make up and I believe that's what made this campaign different. Make-up is a central part of my regular life, and so every day I appear made up. That's not to say however that I always get it right and that my face is always made up perfectly.
What made you come up with the name of #30DaysOfNormal?
The name came from me wanting people to see me as I actually appeared - me on a normal day. People don't emerge from bed looking like models - they crawl out of bed looking like people who have just got out of bed! The NORMAL me.
What is the message behind the campaign and what did you hope to achieve from it?
I hoped to encourage women across the world to join in with the hashtag 30 Days of Normal. To share pictures of us all in our natural beauty. And actually, I did mention that the campaign wasn't necessarily just for women - it's not just women who are photoshopped in the media. I wanted to encourage all gender types to get involved in the campaign. It was generally one of self-encouragement, and expressing oneself through the media of social media. Not always a supportive environment, however social media can encourage great togetherness within communities of people and supportive of self-expression.
What advice would you give to others who are worried about their appearance or are unable to be themselves due to the pressure which media lays upon on young people?
There are two pieces of advice that I think are under-given in situations involving the pressures of the media. The first is this: women do not look like that. Kim Kardashians thighs are not that small and her bum that large. One; both are edited to fit into social constructs of what is beautiful.
And secondly, everyone feels the way you do at some point in your life. Everyone has parts of their body they are uncomfortable with. But there are ways of overcoming them. Everyone is beautiful in some way or another. And more importantly, there are other aspects of your personality that society values (though it doesn't feel like it sometimes). The media focuses an unduly amount on women's looks but we are so much more than that. We are so clever and so passionate and we can make such a difference. And it's so important not to forget that.
To find out more about the campaign, watch this short video.