The effects of social media have been a hot topic since its rise twenty years ago. The detriments of young people constantly watching disinterested strangers for cues to look cool or to attract the opposite sex can be discouraging and overwhelming. Meanwhile, older adults lament the loss of days when people lived in the moment. However, I would argue that the presence of influencers in media has less to do with the ever-changing youth, and more to do with the repetition of certain types of social cues. Today’s social media stars dominate our screens with carefully crafted outfits, makeup routines and talents. Looking back in history, say to the Regency Period, it becomes clear that young people have been following “influencers” for hundreds of years. Instead of scrolling on phones, people looked to fictional heroines in novels as their guides for how to act, dress and even fall in love.
One of the marking factors in modern female influencers is how they dress. Similarly, the Regency period is known for particular clothing styles, especially for wealthy young women. Today, the stereotypical popular girl often wears straight or cargo jeans, monochromatic shades, thick-soled shoes, layered outfits and patterned skirts. Although other aesthetics exist in niche corners of the internet, social media displays young women showcasing this aesthetic most of the time. The internet also tends to favor those influencers displaying it. Likewise, fashionable Recency Era women sported dresses with extremely high waistlines and short sleeves, light-colored fabric, natural hair with curls, poke bonnets, reticules and abundant ribbon. In fiction written during the Regency period, most young heroines embodied the perfect sense of fashion and beauty. Both today’s youth and those who lived during the Regency period, look up to these versions of femininity as the epitome of loveliness and grace.
Another underpinning theme of both types of influencers is their common abilities. For modern women, these abilities often include singing, applying makeup, dancing and doing their hair. Of course, these more “generic influencer” skills are often compounded by a unique skill, such as speaking two languages, playing an instrument or drawing. In the Regency period, however, the skills considered niches now were expected in heroines as the bare minimum. Fluency in at least three languages, excellence in two or more instruments, a beautiful singing voice and the ability to carry out a lively conversation marked the heroine as perfectly accomplished and worthy of adoration. In both cases, viewers and readers want to mimic these qualities and see the people portraying them as images of perfection.
Many examples of these influencers and characters exist, but two notable instances are Haley Kalil and Emily St. Aubert. Haley Kalil, a model and influencer on various social media platforms, exemplifies the vision of a young, fashionable woman. Her videos include dancing, displaying makeup or clothing brands, making jokes and participating in social media trends. Conversely, Emily St. Aubert epitomizes her own era’s ideals for women. She adores music, art, literature, poetry, nature and goodness. Additionally, Emily strikes those around her as graceful, attractive, sweet and captivating. She possesses every skill and virtue that accompanied an accomplished woman of that day. In both cases, audiences are meant to emulate these women and use them to navigate the preferences of those around them.
Although the standard of perfection has changed throughout the years, the roles of influencers and heroines remain strikingly similar. Both fulfill the position of a template for the young women and men looking up to them as either an ideal self or an ideal partner. Based on the similarities and differences between these two influencer brands, perhaps the “good old days” are not as long gone as they appear.
