Eugene Lang freshman Elisabeth O’Driscoll goes by the handle @vulgarlady online. She joined Instagram two years ago and in the beginning, “it became a tool for self gratification,” said O’Driscoll.

Now, O’Driscoll says she has to look at social media through “a lens of positivity”. She is inspired by the 1920s and ‘30s, faded shadowy things, and “by women on Instagram who are confident in their femininity and how they present themselves,” said O’Driscoll.

“There’s something therapeutic in building an image for yourself and being able to control that image.” – Elisabeth O’Driscoll

According to O’Driscoll, she uses her instagram to love herself and to represent a positive self image. She criticizes Instagram users’ obsession with perfection, stating that “it’s so important to call out and question that side of social media – this breed of Instagram girls who are really skinny and effortlessly pretty”.

Instagram is all about authenticity for @vulgarlady. “Post what you love and what’s special to you,” said O’Driscoll. “If you feel confident in yourself and you feel happy in your life, then that will make other people happy too”.