Harlow

[TheUsualChaos]

Anyone else's DC follow Harlow? I let DD watch some of her stuff on the iPad but try to keep it fairly minimal. Feel it used to fairly harmless but over the years has become more and more pushing products and money money money. Showing off her highly expensive outfits (Holland and Cooper for a 13 yo?!) the perfect yard, the ponies never have a spot of dirt on them. The ponies are super cute and some of the riding videos are nice to watch but I'm constantly reminding DD that this is not at all normal or what being a pony girl is all about.

Also lately Harlow seems to be really being moulded into a much more grown up type of model. The poses and serious facial expressions don't seem right for a girl who is barely 14. She's still a child and followed by a predominantly younger audience. I don't know, it just doesn't sit right with me and I'm leaning towards discouraging DD looking at any of their content as it's just become so over stylised and fallen into the stereotypical way Instagram pushes the idea of needing to be and look perfect.

Are there any pony accounts we can look at that are less image obsessed?

Hate it. Poor riding, some examples of horses not being happy, trussed up with gadgets whilst lunging. Thankfully DD can't stand her either.
TBH DD doesn't follow any riding influences (hate that they even exist!) thankfully.
Does your DD ride or have horses? Cos all the horsey girls we look up to are the ones at DDs yard ie covered in muck 90% of the time.

My kids dislike her and also wouldn’t be seen dead in H&C. They watch their mates at the yard mostly.

Instagram to make money is going to be image obsessed.

Yes DD has been riding since she was a little. We don't have our own but she can jump on anything. She's a tidy little rider with lovely soft hands and just loves being around the ponies. I worry the influence of Harlow and the like starts to cause the whole "comparison is the thief of joy" saying to come true. She didn't use to care what she wore but lately getting sucked into the "look" and I think these pony influencers are to blame. There's several others at her pony club that do the whole matchy matchy thing as well. But I've noticed the older ones don't as much so maybe something that will soon go out of favour again!

Good point about the tack and gadgets as well, I will start to point that out to her also. She does realise how stylised it all is but at same time is definitely being influenced so time to cut it out I think!

Jeez, i thought Harlow was much older than 13!

I've followed Claudia Groves since day dot of her bopping around a XC course on her little Dartmoor, her mum controls her social media accounts and seems to keep her feet on the ground, no inappropriate content!

No according to DD she is 14 in September. She's a pretty girl but being styled to look much older lately I feel. She does seem to love her ponies but it's just all so materialistic.

We've had a chat about it and DD agrees it's getting too much with the influencing and consumerism. I'll have a search around for some other riding content, some good demo videos on YouTube perhaps without the hard sell, I'm sure there must be something out there!

I think it is absolutely awful to be honest. There seems to be a lot of child equestrian influencers popping up recently.

They only push the 'wonderful' products because they are given them for free. Of course they are going to say these boots are the best if they didn't have to pay for them! The children get lots of freebies, and the companies get lots of free advertising - it's a win win situation really isn't it. The only ones to lose out are the parents who are pestered into buying all this damned stuff.

My DH is in the equestrian trade, and he does not sponsor anyone or give out freebies. In his words "I want people to choose my product because they like it and want to use it - not because it has been handed out for free"

Yeah exactly that. DD is aware now but for a while I was constantly reminding her that Harlow and the like are getting all this stuff for free in return for making content. It's so easy for young girls to start to compare themselves, it's toxic.

The meet and greet stuff is mad as well. I can't imagine spending all that time in a queue at these events with so much else to do and see 🤷‍♀️