Sexual Health Activist and a Content Creator
Andrea defines what it means to be an influencer. With taboo-breaking yet educational content, Andrea pushes Indonesian women to take back control of their bodies, relationships, financials, and ultimately, the wheel of their own lives.
As a girl who grew up in a conservative religious family, building a career out of talking about sex, love and modern dating on social media is perhaps the last thing people would expect from Andrea. But Andrea has shown the world how it can be done.
Andrea, who is of Chinese-Indonesian origin, enrolled at Bina Nusantara University in 2007 to study visual communication design. In 2009, she logged on Twitter and started tweeting about heartbreaks. It spiralled. After graduation, Andrea went on to join the workforce while staying active on Twitter.
By 2015, when an online matchmaking agency recruited Andrea, she had realized the power of influence social media could wield. Andrea was eventually asked to become an image consultant and dating coach for the platform. Along with the trajectory of her professional life, Andrea’s passion for psychology and relationships grew. So did her network.
At the end of 2017, her employer’s financial problems led to massive layoffs. Andrea was one of them. Facing a difficult situation, Andrea had no choice but to pick herself up and created her own opportunity. She made up her mind to become an influencer. “I told myself I’m going to do my own thing,” Andrea recalls.
Already popular on Twitter, Andrea then opened her now-famous Instagram page where she would become known by the wider public. She started by talking about subjects that were considered taboo in Indonesia, such as deconstructing the concept of virginity.
Within two years, her account has compiled some of the most comprehensive advice and information regarding sexual health, love, dating, and financial management on social media. It has over 230,000 organic followers, over 80% of whom are women. Andrea’s messages and content have also been highly shared on other platforms.
“I learned that no matter what job, in general we are sales people. We always have something to sell, it just depends on how we package it,” Andrea says.
Among the most difficult challenges Andrea faces is the public’s misunderstanding about her campaigns. Many people, mostly due to conservative upbringings, mistake sex education with encouraging premarital sex. But Andrea’s persistence in delivering the topics that she believes in has proven fruitful. Over time, feedback has become more positive and Andrea has seen a shift in perception and awareness amongst her followers.
“Through my content I want to remind everyone, especially women, that they have a choice. I want them to educate themselves, to save themselves, and to take control back of their lives,” Andrea says.
Andrea recently partnered with UNICEF and the USAID-funded initiative LINKAGES to run campaigns about HIV and to encourage people to get tested. From these campaigns, Andrea’s reach and impact go beyond women to include people from marginalised genders and sexual minority groups (LGBTQI).
For Andrea, using a gender lens in investing can greatly improve economic opportunities for women, not only in terms of financials, but also their social wellbeing as a whole.
In addition to healthy relationships, Andrea also encourages women to be independent by acquiring financial literacy. Many women cannot get out of toxic marriages because of financial reasons. To educate her followers about investing, Andrea partners with the Indonesian Stock Exchange and insurance platforms. She also helps boost small businesses owned and led by women on her page.
Andrea’s campaigns play a strategic role in defining, expanding and deepening the concepts of women empowerment and gender equality in the GLI space. Her influence helps women to be more confident both in private and public spaces, and pushes them to take control by being productive.
