This Social Media Star Inspires Millions By Live-Streaming Her Life Without Arms
Every Body celebrates inclusivity and the representation of human beings in every shape and form.
The concept of a social media star is a familiar one, but we’re most used to seeing Vine singers turned pop stars (think Shawn Mendes) or Instagram sensations turn chart-topping rappers (we see you, Cardi B). In China, a new kind of social media star of their own has emerged in recent months thanks to the live-streaming of one young woman’s daily life without arms, and we can’t help but be totally inspired.
Yang Li was just three years old when a severe high-voltage wire incident led to the amputation of both of her arms, according to an article translated from China.com. Over the years, she taught herself how to do everything from eating to putting on makeup, to texting on her cell phone using just her legs and her feet. Eventually, Li attended university and landed herself a clerical job — all while becoming an online sensation in her home country.
Using a selfie stick mounted around her neck, Li started live-streaming her life, hoping to show others that the limitations of a life without limbs are not as extreme as many may think. She soon began posting videos and live streaming on Kuaishou, a popular Chinese photo sharing and live video-streaming site with over 400 million users. To date, the young internet star has over 2.1 million followers of her own on the platform.
Li will often sing for her followers, or answer any questions that her fans might have. She also shares photos of her day-to-day life on Weibo, widely known as China’s version of Twitter.
With the sizeable audience she’s already built, there’s no telling how big Li’s representation could reach — maybe she’ll even make the transition from internet celebrity to IRL inspiration.
What do you think of Yang Li’s social media presence? Let us know @BritandCo!
(Photo via Weibo)
