Renee Dushane ’16 has inspired countless young men and women with her message of self-love. Amassing an astonishing 105,000 followers on Instagram, Dushane has become a viral sensation with a very important message.
Born with Pfeiffer Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the way the bones in the face grow, Dushane has dealt with her share of hardships and self-doubt. She’s endured several invasive surgeries that actually encouraged her to enroll in Salem State’s nursing program. “I feel very comfortable in a hospital setting,” Dushane states. She looks forward to being a caregiver in the nursing field but until then she’s curing everyone with confidence.
Dushane spiraled into social stardom in 2012 when a photo she posted on Tumblr went viral. The photo was a simple shot of Dushane, unedited and unashamed, with one of her signature upbeat messages. Dushane’s social accounts are a collection of photos of herself, friends, family and celebrities but her positive message remains the same.
Dushane’s posts are flooded with thousands of messages of encouragement and positivity. One message of praise came from an unlikely friend, Kylie Jenner. Earlier this year, the reality star asked Dushane to kick off her #IAmMoreThan campaign which combats online bullying and promotes body positivity. Jenner featured Dushane’s story with a photo and lengthy caption for all forty-eight million of Jenner’s followers to see. Celebrities like Ashton Kutcher came out to commend the bully-battlers and even Instagram instagrammed Dushane. Despite this success, Dushane’s crusade for body positivity is far from over.
Dushane wants her followers to “laugh at negativity” and know that “it’s not all about getting the approval of others.” Sometimes the most important “like” comes from yourself. Dushane is excited to team up with Salem State’s social team to spread this message to her own tightknit Viking community. Stay tuned!
