ESQ: You work as a UN Ambassador. Tell us about the work you’ve done with them?
AC: The relationship happened quite organically. I think it is important to use my platform to voice issues that I care about, like environmental and wildlife issues. It was through those issues that the relationship with the UN started. I did a campaign called Wild for Life, using my platform to generate more awareness on poaching issues, directing those interested towards the website. My posts alone generated a 50 percent increase in traffic to the website and over 40 million views, which is awesome.
ESQ: What does being ‘an influencer’ mean to you?
AC: I still have a bit of a confused answer on this. I think an important part of being an influencer is being true to yourself. Essentially people are looking to you for something, whether that is deep and impactful, or something simple like making someone feeling a little bit happier during a stressful day. I think it’s a balance, y’know.
ESQ: Who influences you?
AC: I’ve always loved Angelina Jolie. She is just so awesome! She is so talented and from what I see is also such a good human. A lot of the humanitarian work that she does is so genuine, and the fact she is a successful woman in business and producing. Being hands on and taking a leadership role in things, I find it really inspiring.
ESQ: Do you find that women are too often pigeonholed into one thing and are often criticized for trying to step out of that space?
AC: I think, in general, people love putting other people in boxes. Almost like it helps them understand them easier. It’s very two-dimensional, but they are missing out on so much! I’ve spent a lot of my career trying to get out of those ‘boxes’, and it is something that fuels me. I love proving people’s perceptions about me wrong – but, unfortunately for some people, those labels can hold people back from reaching their full potential. It happens a lot, especially with women. For instance, women who embrace their sexuality, aren’t allowed to talk about philanthropy? It’s naïve, and while I think the world is starting to think a little bit differently now, there’s still so much more room for growth and for leadership roles for women, for us to be taken seriously. It does get frustrating, but I see it as an opportunity to prove people wrong.
ESQ: One of the main goals for UN Women is to achieve total gender equality. What do you think content creators should be doing better in order to achieve that?
AC: I think is one of the most influential and impactful things that people can do is to share stories, and to work collaboratively to allow women of all kinds to hear those stories. That’s what inspires me the most and makes things real to me – hearing how people overcame struggles, what they’ve experienced, and the mistakes that they’ve made, all those things are where I learn the most.
ESQ: Why is it important that men also care about the issue?
AC: Unfortunately, it seems to give it credibility in the minds of people that are hesitant on the idea of deserving equality. Sometimes the most influential thing to somebody that’s close minded on a topic is for someone that they look up to speaking out about it. Something like gender equality can seem so obvious, but to be able to create total gender equality, we all need to work towards it together.
Amanda Cerny was speaking at the UN Women ITP Live Conference in Dubai
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