My Instagram account: The Stutter Girl

5th January 2021

Naomi Ogoke tells us how she uses social media to make a positive change for people who stammer.

My name is Naomi, I'm 20 years old and I live in Nigeria. Stuttering has always been a part of my life, and it sure still is. As a young girl I didn't know that I stuttered, or better still, I didn't know what stammering was. All I knew was that I spoke like my dad.

'Being in charge of my speech' was something I didn't have the courage to do. I let my stutter take charge of everything I wanted to do. I lost confidence in myself and I had really low self-esteem. I took my stutter as 'my identity'. But I found solace in my faith, which gave me inner strength and resolve.

It breaks my heart whenever I meet another stammerer who finds it hard to speak up for himself/herself. It's really sad to know that this unwillingness to speak usually arises from what society thinks of people who stutter.

As I got older my self-confidence and self-esteem grew, and I gradually began to take charge of my speech. I started to speak up for myself and most importantly embrace opportunities to speak in public. I had started to embrace my stutter and not let it weigh me down. 

Social media

But I wanted to go further and help other people who stammer to do same. It breaks my heart whenever I meet another stammerer who finds it hard to speak up for himself/herself. It's really sad to know that this unwillingness to speak usually arises from what society thinks of people who stutter.

I figured out that social media could go a long way to help me achieve this, so I decided to set up my own Instagram account, @thestuttergirl, last September. 

My instagram is dedicated to help people who stutter see the beauty in their speech, learn to speak up for themselves, have a sense of self-worth and also end every stigma associated with stammering.

It is dedicated to help people who stutter see the beauty in their speech, learn to speak up for themselves, have a sense of self-worth and also end every stigma associated with stammering. I wanted to create a safe space on Instagram for people who stutter like me.

I make and post graphics with positive messages, like 'stuttering is not personal failure' and 'Often the fear of stuttering is worse than the actual stutter'. I also use the option of uploading a set of images to create picture guides, such as 'Cool comebacks people who stutter can use when bullied'.

Raising awareness among those who don't stammer is important to me too, so I create pictures and videos such as 'Things not to say to a person who stutters', and 'Tips for speaking to someone who stutters'.

I'm hopeful that I achieve every single thing that I intend to achieve with my page. Since starting it in September 2020 I've got 325 followers — you can take a look and follow me too at @thestuttergirl.