International Journal of Advertising

The Review of Marketing Communications

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Sustainable fashion social media influencers and

content creation calibration

Jenna Jacobson & Brooke Harrison

To cite this article: Jenna Jacobson & Brooke Harrison (2022) Sustainable fashion social media
influencers and content creation calibration, International Journal of Advertising, 41:1, 150-177,
DOI: 10.1080/02650487.2021.2000125

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International Journal of Advertising
2022, VOL. 41, NO. 1, 150–177
https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2021.2000125

Sustainable fashion social media influencers and

content creation calibration
Jenna Jacobson and Brooke Harrison
Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

Given the rise of social media, social media influencers have Received 30 November 2020
become an essential part of marketing agencies’ strategies. Accepted 22 October 2021
Advertisers seek to leverage influencers’ large community of fol-
lowers who place trust in influencers’ recommendations. This trust KEYWORDS
influencer;
makes the use of influencer marketing a powerful tool for adver-
influencer marketing;
tisers. With increasing consumer interest, the sustainable fashion sustainable fashion;
industry has grown and social media influencers are being lever- social media marketing;
aged to shift consumer perspective and purchasing behavior. Using fashion marketing
semi-structured interviews, this research addresses the use of
influencers as an advertising tactic in the sustainable fashion indus-
try to analyze the social media practices and monetization strat-
egies of sustainable fashion social media influencers.
The term ‘sustainable fashion social media influencers’ is introduced
to describe influential content creators who discuss sustainable
fashion on social media. Importantly, the research identifies ‘con-
tent creation calibration’, which refers to the practice of social
media influencers calibrating their content to account for their
ethics and desire for compensation. The research highlights the
future challenges for advertisers and influencers when linking
sustainability to entrepreneurship in influencer marketing.

Introduction
There has been increased interest in sustainability worldwide due to consumer pres-
sure, investor activism, and corporate action (Fitch Solutions 2019), and industry
research evidences that conversations about sustainability continue to increase (Brock
Nielsen 2020). Advertisers have tapped into this marketing opportunity to promote
a brand or product’s sustainability to environmentally concerned consumers who want
to curb the negative repercussions of consumerism (Chang, Zhang, and Xie 2015;
Kong et  al. 2016; Moon et  al. 2015; Sun et  al. 2021). Environmentally concerned
consumers prioritize environmentalism in their consumption habits (Moon et  al. 2015)
and this represents a growing opportunity for advertisers.

CONTACT Jenna Jacobson [email protected] Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University,
350 Victoria Street, Toronto, Ontario M5B 2K3, Canada.
© 2021 Advertising Association
 International Journal of Advertising 151

The desire for sustainability is seen within the fashion industry; the sustainable
fashion industry is experiencing rapid growth and is estimated to reach $8.25 billion
by 2031 (Businesswire 2020). However, there are consumers who are hesitant to
believe the advertising claims, thus causing consumer confusion and consumer avoid-
ance of sustainable fashion (Yan, Hyllegard, and Blaesi 2012). As a result, advertisers
are challenged to connect to consumers in an authentic way (Peirson-Smith and Evans
2017) to influence sustainable fashion purchasing intentions and behavior.
There is an estimated 3.6 billion people using social media worldwide and the use
is projected to increase to almost 4.41 billion users by 2025 (Clement 2020). While
advertisers can use social media to directly communicate sustainability issues to
consumers, social media influencers can be used as an effective advertising tactic to
bridge the gap in communications. Social media influencers refer to ‘third-party actors
that have established a significant number of relevant relationships with a specific
quality to and influence on organizational stakeholders through content production,
content distribution, interaction, and personal appearance on the social web’ (Enke
and Borchers 2019, p. 267). Advertisers engage in influencer marketing, which refers
to an online strategy that capitalizes on an influencer’s popularity to expand con-
sumers’ brand awareness and influence consumers’ purchasing decisions (De Veirman,
Cauberghe, and Hudders 2017; Lou and Yuan 2019).
Social media influencers’ ads are perceived as more trustworthy in comparison to
celebrity ads or studio created ads (Schouten, Janssen, and Verspaget 2020; Lee and
Watkins 2016; Ki et  al. 2020); consequently, influencer ads gain higher engagement—in
terms of likes and comments (Lou and Yuan 2019). Influencers are able to influence
consumer behavior due to their strong connections, source credibility, and parasocial
interaction with their followers, which provides strong appeal for advertisers to lever-
age influencer marketing (De Veirman, Cauberghe, and Hudders 2017; Hovland, Janis,
and Kelley 1953; Schouten, Janssen, and Verspaget 2020; Shan, Chen, and Lin 2020).
Parasocial interaction refers to the one-sided relationship a viewer or the audience
has with a celebrity or media personality (Rubin and McHugh 1987; Ballantine and
Martin 2005); extended to social media influencers, followers perceive an intimate
bond with the influencer as the influencer shares content on social media (Daniel,
Crawford Jackson, and Westerman 2018). The relationship is one-sided as the person-
ality does not reciprocate the perceived close relationship (Horton and Wohl 1956).
A social media influencer’s success is dependent on the support and connection to
their followers; as a result, they must balance their engagement with brand partner-
ships and their perception of authenticity (Coco and Eckert 2020).
While there is growing research on sustainability, as well as social media influencers,
there is limited research that is situated at this intersection of sustainable fashion
and social media influencers. Research evidences that interest in the environment or
human rights concerns is not enough to change consumer behavior; influencers can
influence consumption practices by facilitating knowledge dissemination and advo-
cating for sustainability (Chwialkowska 2019). Influencers gain trust from their followers
through their personal stories and posts (Joosse and Brydges 2018); thus consumers
are more likely to listen to these experiences and redefine their consumption habits.
However, previous research also indicates that influencers have concerns about the
ethics of their actions online (Hudders, De Jans, and De Veirman 2021; Khamis, Ang,
152 J. JACOBSON AND B. HARRISON

and Welling 2017), and this concern may be heightened by influencers who directly
tie their personal ethics to their social media, such as those committed to
sustainability.
This research seeks to fill this gap by answering: What are the social media prac-
tices and monetization strategies of sustainable fashion social media influencers? We
define sustainable fashion social media influencers as influential content creators who
showcase sustainable fashion on social media. The research uses semi-structured
interviews with 20 sustainable fashion social media influencers. The research exclusively
focuses on women because fashion, social media, and sustainability are seen to be
gendered topics, which was reinforced during the recruitment process as women
dominate this space (Carah and Dobson 2016; Duffy and Hund 2015; Duffy and
Schwartz 2018; Horton 2018).

Literature review
Sustainable fashion
Sustainable fashion is a new, yet emerging, research area (Henninger, Alevizou, and
Oates 2016), which refers to clothing production that practices human and environ-
mental rights, protects workers and provides fair compensation, values the circular
economy, and reduces the negative impact of consumption in order to create a
positive social impact (Kozlowski, Bardecki, and Searcy 2018; Štefko and Steffek 2018;
Fletcher 2008). Sustainable fashion is situated within the circular economy, which
refers to ‘… managing the consumption cycle through rethinking sourcing, design,
manufacturing and consumer usage with significant global economic and lifestyle
implications’ (Peirson-Smith and Evans 2017, p. 384). The term ‘sustainable fashion’ is
often used interchangeably with ‘slow fashion’ (Štefko and Steffek 2018), with the
opposite being ‘fast fashion’, which refers to fashion production that tends to be
produced at high speed, sold at a cheap price point, pushes consumerism, and involves
lower quality and cheaper materials (Ertekin and Atik 2015; Bick, Halsey, and Ekenga
2018; Elrod 2017; Clark 2008). Despite the fast fashion’s market dominance, consumers
are becoming aware of the sustainability issues (Horton 2018).
There has been an increase in consumer demand for sustainable clothing (Orminski,
Tandoc, and Detenber 2020). Research consistently evidences that young people are
particularly attracted to sustainable fashion (Statista 2021; KPMG 2019; Nosto 2019);
49% of 18–24 year olds are very supportive of sustainable fashion in comparison to
25% of those 55+ (Statista 2021). Other research suggests that higher income groups
and more frequent shoppers are more interested in sustainable fashion (KPMG 2019).
The increasing interest in sustainable fashion has resulted in large retailers tapping
into the sustainability trend (De Chiara 2016; Kotler 2011; Black 2013), as well as an
increase in new sustainable retailers (Khandula and Pradhan 2019).
There are various ways a consumer can engage with sustainable fashion including:
upcycling, repurposing, thrifting, and newly produced sustainable shopping (Bhatt,
Silverman, and Dickson 2019; Bukhari, Carrasco-Gallego, and Ponce-Cueto 2018; Ayres
2019). Upcycling refers to creating newness or better quality in an item from waste
or used materials that adds value to the item (Bhatt, Silverman, and Dickson 2019).
 International Journal of Advertising 153

Repurposing is akin to upcycling as it involves using old materials to make a new

item; however, the difference is that value is not added to the item (Bhatt, Silverman,
and Dickson 2019; Black 2013), such as making a pillowcase from an old shirt. Thrifting,
also called vintage shopping or second-hand shopping, refers to the purchase of used
items at discounted prices (Ayres 2019). With a trade value of US$152 million in
Canada (Bedford 2020), thrifting is a popular way of engaging in sustainable fashion
due to the lower price point and ability to find unique pieces (Styles 2014). Finally,
newly produced sustainable shopping refers to the purchase of new sustainable products
from small local businesses, as well as large corporations, that create sustainable lines
(Todeschini et  al. 2017; Hill and Lee 2015).
Despite the options available, advertisers face various, and simultaneous, barriers
when promoting sustainable brands or brands’ sustainability efforts including: (1)
consumer knowledge, (2) trust, (3) affordability, and (4) style.
Firstly, despite growing awareness of sustainability, there is a problem with con-
sumer knowledge as consumers do not understand sustainable fashion adequately to
make informed purchasing decisions (Pookulangara and Shephard 2013). Consumers
need to gain awareness of sustainability issues if advertisers are to influence consumer
behavior (Peirson-Smith and Evans 2017).
Secondly, trust is a major barrier for consumers adopting sustainable fashion prac-
tices (Henninger, Alevizou, and Oates 2016) and distrust results in consumer skepticism
(Laroche, Bergeron, and Barbaro-Forleo 2001). Consumer skepticism occurs because
sustainability and environmentalism are currently ‘mega trends’, and brands use buzz-
words like ‘organic’ or ‘green’ as a marketing technique (Henninger, Alevizou, and
Oates 2016). Consumers may avoid buying sustainable products because they believe
the brands are not truthful about their environmental promises (Phau and Ong 2007).
Thirdly, consumers are challenged by the perception of lack of affordability (Yan,
Hyllegard, and Blaesi 2012; Henninger, Alevizou, and Oates 2016). The fast fashion
market is easily accessible and affordable, whereas sustainable fashion is often asso-
ciated with exclusivity and luxury (Gam, Ma, and Banning 2014).
Finally, sustainable fashion is seen as not stylish (Henninger, Alevizou, and Oates
2016) as some consumers are concerned about the aesthetic value (Kong et  al. 2016).
Advertisers are challenged to promote some sustainable fashion brands that do not
seem as mainstream or as stylish as other fast fashion brands (Gam, Ma, and
Banning 2014).
To overcome these barriers, advertisers can use social media influencers as a tool
to educate consumers and influence consumers’ purchasing decisions. Influencers who
promote the consumption and discussion around sustainable fashion can educate
the general public on the problems with fast fashion (Joosse and Brydges 2018),
while also influencing sustainable purchasing decisions (Bedard and Tolmie 2018).

Social media influencers

Social media influencers have influence due to their extensive reach and power over
consumer choices (Williams, Page, and Petrosky 2014; Martensen, Brockenhuus-Schack,
and Zahid 2018). Social media influencers portray themselves as average consumers
offering advice, while they may also have an agenda to sell products and promote
154 J. JACOBSON AND B. HARRISON

brands (Khamis, Ang, and Welling 2017; Sokolova and Kefi 2020). Micro-influencers
are a subset of influencers with modest following: 1,000 to 100,000 followers (Boerman
2020). They are the largest group of influencers and are typically average people who
have turned Instafamous (Boerman 2020). They are popular to a niche group of people
and seem to have a more authentic approach to building their community (Marwick
2015). Micro-influencers work to build strong relationships with their followers that
encapsulate trust, authenticity, and authority (Alampi 2019). Businesses and marketers
often work with micro-influencers so they can capitalize on their deeply engaged
audience (Boerman 2020).
Social media influencers have become a key source of consumer advice and, in
turn, influence consumer brand perceptions and consumption habits (Jin, Muqaddam,
and Ryu 2019; Sokolova and Kefi 2020), which has challenged traditional marketing
practices (Casaló et  al. 2020). They are desirable to advertisers because they are per-
ceived as being more authentic and trustworthy due to their personalized approach
to building community (Marwick and Boyd 2011; Alampi 2019; Huh et  al. 2020).
Problematically, influencer marketing is often criticized as a covert advertising practice
that is viewed as deceiving audiences (Competition Bureau 2020; Ad Standards 2020).
In most jurisdictions, including Canada and the U.S., an influencer is required by law
to disclose a sponsorship, which clearly identifies the ‘material connection’ with a
brand (Hwang and Jeong 2016). This advertising disclosure seeks to protect consumers
and stop deceptive advertising strategies (Ad Standards 2020). Despite the require-
ments, audiences may not recognize the disclosures and not all influencers post
sponsorship disclosures; influencers may not post disclosures due to a lack of knowl-
edge or the belief that audiences will develop a negative perception of sponsored
content (Woodroof et  al. 2020).
Attention is a commodity and influencers engage in self-branding as a tactic to
capitalize on their audience; Khamis, Ang, and Welling (2017) defines self-branding
as ‘individuals developing a distinctive public image for commercial gain and or/
cultural capital’ (p. 192). Self-branding is seen as a necessity for social media influ-
encers as it is a way to market themselves to their target audience (Duffy 2016). What
influencers become known for informs followers of the brand they are supporting
(Marwick 2013) and the community they are becoming a part of, such as sustainable
fashion.

Social media influencers and sustainability

Prior research evidences that social media can be used to positively influence sus-
tainable purchase intentions and lifestyle adoption. Bedard and Tolmie (2018) found
a positive relationship between millennials’ social media use and their intention to
make sustainable purchases. Johnstone and Lindh (2017) evidence that knowledge
of sustainability paired with sustainable influencer persuasion created a positive link
to purchasing decisions. Joosse and Brydges (2018) identify that the use of sustainable
blogs can alter consumer habits by offering a space for reflexivity and communication
between the content creator and their followers. People can be influenced to adopt
new consumption habits when exposed to minority influence, informational social
influence, and normative social influence (Chwialkowska 2019). Minority influence
 International Journal of Advertising 155

refers to a minority segment of the population influencing the majority; informational

social influence refers to individuals providing information to persuade others to shift
their views (Nemeth 1986); and normative social influence refers to conforming to
societal expectations and norms in order to be accepted in a group (Spears 2021).
Chwialkowska (2019) found that sustainability advocates on Facebook use minority,
informational, and normative social influence to convince consumers to engage in
sustainable practices.
Influencers’ ability to influence consumers grows stronger when consumers admire
the content creators they watch (Lee and Watkins 2016) and when consumers view
influencers’ actions as authentic (Khamis, Ang, and Welling 2017). Authenticity, both
brand authenticity and perceived authenticity, is well understood as an important
value for influencers as they cultivate relationships with their audience and provide
truthful consumer opinions (Jin, Muqaddam, and Ryu 2019; Luoma-Aho et  al. 2019;
Wellman et  al. 2020; Chatterjee 2011). Similar to how Giles (2018) describes authen-
ticity of a celebrity, brand authenticity and perceived authenticity can be understood
as ‘reconciling the performer with the performance’ (p. 133). Influencers engage in
authenticity by appearing as a familiar figure to their audience (Giles 2018; Sokolova
and Kefi 2020). As such, the appearance of authenticity helps to develop a sense of
trust from their followers, which leverages the parasocial attachment their followers
feel (Martensen, Brockenhuus-Schack, and Zahid 2018). This trust enables influencers
to capitalize on their social network and engage in financial and contractual influencer
marketing agreements with brands and advertisers in the form of sponsored content
(Giles 2018; Sokolova and Kefi 2020; Abidin and Ots 2016; Duffy 2017). A sponsored
post refers to content that is created by a consumer, such as an influencer, but is
sponsored by a brand (Mutum and Wang 2010). A strong alignment between the
influencer and brand leads to more positive views (De Cicco, Iacobucci, and
Pagliaro 2021).
Financial success is difficult for most social media influencers to attain. Duffy (2017)
identifies ‘aspirational labour’ as the work of individuals who pursue creative and
productive activities that have the potential for social and economic capital; however,
the reality of this occurring is unlikely. She argues that social media influencers are
aspirational labourers whose primary motivation is the promise of future upward
mobility. While becoming a social media influencer has become an idealized career,
these aspirational labourers often engage in flexible and precarious work as their jobs
are found through entrepreneurial freelancing work (Popiel 2017).
Despite the growing interest and use of influencer marketing, there is a gap in
the scholarly literature in understanding sustainable fashion social media influencers.
There is a plethora of research that focuses exclusively on sustainable fashion (Niinimäki
2010; Haug and Busch 2016; Henninger, Alevizou, and Oates 2016), thrifting (Ayres
2019; Ferro 2016), and social media influencers (Khamis, Ang, and Welling 2017;
Sokolova and Kefi 2020). However, a gap remains in understanding the practices of
sustainable social media influencers, as well as their advertising practices and mon-
etization strategies. Findings from other influencer research inform this research, but
the sustainability context makes the research distinct. Equally, one cannot generalize
from sustainability persuasion research as influencers add a new dynamic: they are
not celebrities or close friends, but something in between, which is where their value
156 J. JACOBSON AND B. HARRISON

lies. Understanding the practices of sustainable fashion social media influencers is

important as they can be used to influence their followers’ practices towards more
sustainable practices, and advertisers have an opportunity to partner with this influ-
ential group.

Theoretical framework
Research on social media influencers and their influence on consumer consumption
habits has flourished in the past decade with a focus on self-branding and the
micro-celebrity (Khamis, Ang, and Welling 2017), the ethics and influence of sponsor-
ship disclosure (Kim and Kim 2021; Boerman 2020), and the influence of parasocial
interaction on consumer purchase intentions (Sokolova and Kefi 2020). While previous
research has used persuasion theory (Sokolova and Kefi 2020), theory of (un)planned
behavior (Johnstone and Lindh 2017), and source credibility and source attractiveness
(Martensen, Brockenhuus-Schack, and Zahid 2018), symbolic interactionism has been
used to understand how individuals engage in self-presentation techniques to their
peers online (Hogan 2010; Reich, Schneider, and Heling 2018; Davis 2010).
Building on Mead’s philosophies, the term ‘symbolic interactionism’ was coined by
Blumer who describes that an individual’s thoughts are the only real truth in life; the
subjective experience is fundamental to a person’s understanding of the world (Johns,
Chen, and Terlip 2014; Lal 1995). There are three basic tenants of symbolic interac-
tionism: (1) people act a certain way towards things based on the meaning they have
given it, (2) people attach meaning to objects based on the experience they have
had, and (3) meanings are ever evolving as a result of daily life (Aksan et  al. 2009).
Goffman’s (1959) performativity theory explains that the self is continuously defined
and redefined by experiences with significant others (Lal 1995). Goffman describes
the ways an individual self-monitors when they are in public spaces and how they
adapt their personality to fit the expected social norms and engage in impression
management (Scott 2015). Goffman (1959) states that people enact ‘front stage’ and
‘backstage’ behaviors: in the front stage, a person is aware they are being watched
and enact behavior aligned with social conventions, norms, and a desirable image
(Bullingham and Vasconcelos 2013). In the backstage, a person is as they are in a
private setting and no performance behavior is necessary (Goffman 1959).
By applying this micro-lens to analyze an individual or a small grouping of
people, the theory has been readily used to understand how individuals create
meaning through interaction and can be applied to an individual’s experience on
social media. Hogan (2010) remarks that people engage in impression management
by carefully electing what to display on social media, which are windows into an
individual’s best self. The theorization has also been used to describe the perfor-
mance of multiple personas (Bullingham and Vasconcelos 2013), identity creation
(Chen, Davison, and Ou 2020), meaning making (Hendriks, Duus, and Ercan 2016),
impression management (Krisnawati 2020; Çadırcı and Güngör 2016), personal
branding (Brems et  al. 2017; Jacobson 2020), and performance of the self
(Marshall 2010).
 International Journal of Advertising 157

This research uses symbolic interactionism and Goffman’s (1959) performativity

theory to analyze the performative practices of sustainable fashion social media
influencers and to understand their monetization strategies. Building on previous
scholarly work in this area, the research applies symbolic interactionism to analyze
influencers’ use of social media to authentically portray the self while engaging in
influencer marketing. The use of this theoretical framework affords a lens to under-
stand influencers’ presentation of the self on social media. Goffman’s (1959) front
stage and backstage theorization is applicable to these influencers and the perfor-
mances they engage with online. Their identity is fluid, as their interactions with their
followers and advertisers create external pressures that engage their front stage self
and may limit the way they craft their self-portrayal on their platform.
The theoretical framework is used to identify the unique ways in which sustainable
fashion social media influencers engage with identity creation online and how their
interaction with others, along with their lived experiences, influence their decisions
in creating their platform’s content and purpose. This performance on social media
then aids the influencer in constructing a self-identity that fits their followers’ expec-
tations. By engaging in an in-depth investigation of sustainable fashion social media
influencers, the research contributes to literature by emphasizing the importance of
understanding how these influencers use their social media platforms.

Method
The data for this qualitative study was collected through 20 semi-structured interviews
in January–February 2020 with women sustainable fashion social media influencers
(see Table 1). This demographic of influencers is specifically desirable for advertisers
promoting sustainable brands or looking to target consumers who are interested in
sustainability.
The recruitment process utilized an iterative purposive sampling strategy to ensure
knowledgeable participants were included (Devers and Frankel 2000; Luker 2008), as
such, sustainable fashion social media influencers were recruited as they are seen as
experts in their field and would provide the greatest insight. It was important to
recruit knowledgeable participants as it afforded informed insight based on the lived
experience of the influencer around the topics of sustainable fashion and social media
influencing.
Interviewees were identified by conducting an in-depth search on Google using
various keywords related to sustainability, fashion, and social media. This iterative
search linked to articles on thredUp and BuzzFeed, which identified lists of influencers
in the sustainability area. The lists provided the starting off point to then leverage
Instagram’s ‘suggested accounts to follow’ to uncover similar accounts who could be
potential participants, which mirrors the experience of social media followers who
are interested in this area. A master list was created using the inclusion criteria below
and potential participants were contacted.
The inclusion criteria included:

1. Platform use: the influencer uses social media to discuss sustainable fashion;
158 J. JACOBSON AND B. HARRISON

Table 1. Participants.
Pseudonym Followers (rounded to nearest 100) Platform
Kristen 5,000 Instagram
Hayley 13,000 Instagram
Anne 17,000 Instagram
Lisa Instagram: 4,000 Instagram and YouTube
YouTube:18,000
Sarah 2,500 Instagram
Kelsey Instagram: 9,000 Instagram and YouTube
YouTube: 112,000
Katie 4,000 Instagram
Mia 2,000 Instagram
Becca 2,500 Instagram
Paige 1,800 Instagram
Jess 3,000 Instagram
Bridgette Instagram: 1,200 Instagram and YouTube
YouTube: 18,000
Alison 8,000 Instagram
Kira 2,000 Instagram
Mary 9,400 Instagram
Stephanie 1,400 Instagram
Laura 1,400 Instagram
Sienna Instagram: 25,000 Instagram and YouTube
YouTube: 130,000
Krista 7,200 Instagram
Erica 2,200 Instagram

2. Activity level: the influencer posts at least once a week;

3. Followers: the influencer has over 1,000 followers;
4. Community engagement: the influencer receives at least three comments on
their posts;
5. Visual appeal: the influencer posts content that is visually appealing and follows
current visual aesthetics commonly found on social media;
6. Demographics: the influencer is 18 years or older, English speaking, and located
in Canada or the U.S.

For platform use, the influencer must have some mention of sustainable fashion
on their social media platform. This allowed for the inclusion of diverse participants
who had various levels of commitment to sustainability. The activity level ensured the
participant was actively engaged as an influencer and their account would be less
likely to go dormant during the research. The number of followers was set at over
1,000 followers as this meant they are at least in the range of a ‘micro-influencer’,
which is a popular and niche group that advertisers often work with (Boerman 2020).
Having community engagement was important to ensure the influencers had an
engaged community of followers who interacted with their content. Recognizing the
visual nature of social media, having visual appeal evidenced an influencer’s level of
care and commitment to their platform. Finally, the demographics focused on adults
in North America to situate the research in a specific context.
The purposive sampling strategy was paired with data saturation as the research
sought to qualitatively analyze a small number of cases that were substantively sig-
nificant. The data collection process reached the point of saturation when the interview
data showed no new information; at this stage, the data collection was complete
(Guest, Bunce, and Johnson 2006; Galletta and Cross 2013; Luker 2008). Most of the
 International Journal of Advertising 159

influencers included in the study were Caucasian, except for two Black, Indigenous,
and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals, which speaks to the underrepresentation
and mirrors a common challenge in social media influencer research (Duffy and Hund
2015; Carah and Dobson 2016; Cirucci 2018). The interviews were conducted by one
of the researchers who was around the same age and gender as the participants.
The demographic similarities may have encouraged participants to feel comfortable
discussing topics and relaying their lived experience as influencers; both parties
showed interest in the conversation and could discuss what they had in common
(Devers and Frankel 2000).
The interview guide addressed various topics, such as content development, brand
partnerships, influencer-follower relationships, sustainability practices, and future career
goals. The recorded interviews lasted an average of 51 minutes, were professionally
transcribed, and carefully reviewed for accuracy. Pseudonyms were used for all par-
ticipants to protect the influencers’ identities and encourage participants to share
their opinions.
The research and analysis were grounded in Charmaz’s (2006) approach to quali-
tative analysis. The data was coded using an inductive coding approach, which allowed
themes to develop from the iterative data analysis (Leavy 2017). After transcription,
the data collected went through the initial coding phase where two researchers
reviewed fragments of the data for specific phrases and patterns that led to important
topics within the research (Charmaz 2006; Luker 2008). The preliminary coding began
by identifying repeated themes and similar trends in the data. The researchers assigned
an initial theme to identify important segments of the data, which was done through
memo writing and brainstorming. Through enacting memo writing, the researchers
were able to see important themes emerge early in the analytical process of the
research. The memos focused on themes such as creativity, financial, confidence,
self-improvement, entrepreneurship, and social justice. Under these topics the research-
ers brainstormed multiple themes that emerged in the interview process and recorded
them according to the theme it connected with. The memo writing helped clarify,
organize, and direct the subsequent coding process (Charmaz 2006). Codes were
thematically grouped together using thematic analysis and resulted in a final code
book, which focused on the most significant codes. From here, the researchers used
a qualitative software package, NVivo, to analyze and code the data.
In the analysis, the researchers delved into theorizing the meanings, actions, and
social structures from the data (Charmaz 2006). This allowed the coding, and thus
the writing process, to include a mix of analytical statements paired with
researcher-generated descriptions and participant quotes. The analysis of the coded
data was informed by the theoretical framework and prior scholarly research and
delved into theorizing the meanings, actions, and social structures from the data
(Charmaz 2006). Thus, the research involved theoretical interpretation and empirical
evidence (Charmaz 2006), which makes the research stronger as most of the analysis
of the gathered data had been initiated at the start of the coding process (Luker
2008). The iterative data analysis, which was woven into every step of the inquiry
(Morse et  al. 2002), supported reliability and ensured rigour of the analysis (Creswell
2013), and further allowed the researchers to ground the data in the lived experiences
of the participants (Charmaz 2006).
160 J. JACOBSON AND B. HARRISON

Findings and discussion

Some of the key themes of the research included the tension between sustainability
and entrepreneurism, accountability to followers, pressure to be perfect in terms of
sustainability goals, having a passion project, developing a side hustle as a business,
questioning authenticity, and having influence. Based on the qualitative analysis of
the interview data with sustainable fashion social media influencers, we describe three
types of sustainable fashion social media influencers, identify influencers’ content
creation calibration, and describe how each influencer type navigates these tensions
on social media.

Sustainable fashion social media influencers

There is tremendous diversity amongst sustainable fashion social media influencers.
While they discuss sustainability at different levels of intensity and commitment,
sustainable fashion social media influencers are motivated to create content by their
interest in fashion. The research began by analyzing sustainability fashion social media
influencers as a holistic group, but guided by symbolic interactionism and Goffman’s
Goffman (1959) performativity theory, we identify three types of influencers based
on their front stage presentation of self.
The three influencer types include: (1) sustainable lifestyle influencers, (2) sustainability
influencers, and (3) thrifting influencers (see Table 2). Their sponsorship criteria, content
focus, and monetization goals differ, and reflects how they react to advertising oppor-
tunities with brands.

Sustainable lifestyle influencers

Sustainable lifestyle influencers are influential content creators who use social media
to discuss fashion and sustainability, while also frequently incorporating other aspects
of their daily life. Like regular lifestyle influencers who premise their content ‘… on
the everyday, ordinary, and mundane recounts of their lives “as lived”’ (Abidin 2016,
p. 3), a sustainable lifestyle influencer premises their posts around the narration of
their everyday life while also including sustainability. As differentiated from sustain-
ability influencers (described below), they have varied commitment to sustainability
and post content on diverse topics; they hope to garner a large following by attracting
multiple groups of interested followers.
Mia, a sustainable lifestyle influencer, describes how she uses her platform as an
opportunity to express her varying interests in addition to fashion:
I really started to focus on it being a creative outlet. I work through fashion inspiration,
focusing on sustainability while also talking about my home, which is very vintage
inspired. I also add my hobbies, like collecting vinyl records. I try to show glimpses of
who I am.

Sustainable lifestyle influencers commodify their everyday life by narrating their

lifestyle choices in intimate ways to the public who then engage with their content
through comments and likes (Ibrahim 2015). Mia is creating a curated version of who
 International Journal of Advertising 161

Table 2. Social media influencer types.

Pseudonym Influencer type
Kristen Thrifting influencer
Hayley Thrifting influencer
Anne Thrifting influencer
Lisa Thrifting influencer
Sarah Sustainability influencer
Kelsey Thrifting influencer
Katie Thrifting influencer
Mia Sustainable lifestyle influencer
Becca Thrifting influencer
Paige Sustainability influencer
Jess Sustainability influencer
Bridgette Sustainable lifestyle influencer
Alison Sustainable lifestyle influencer
Kira Thrifting influencer
Mary Sustainability influencer
Stephanie Thrifting influencer
Laura Sustainable lifestyle influencer
Sienna Thrifting influencer
Krista Thrifting influencer
Erica Thrifting influencer

she is for her followers utilizing social media to depict a ‘self’ that people can relate
to and gain inspiration from. Her front stage self (Goffman 1959) balances the expec-
tation of a fashion page, while incorporating other trendy topics.
Some sustainable lifestyle influencers endeavor to develop more sustainable
habits, but may still engage in fast fashion. These influencers build their social
media presence by prioritizing content that is popular with their followers as they
curate a lifestyle that followers wish to mimic or are interested in viewing. Bridgette
describes:

I know that people want to see thrifting a lot, but I also think that they’re just more
interested in fashion and outfits as well. When I’m not doing my thrifting videos, what
do you want to see… Do you want [to know] how to make outfits or what? I think they
just want to see me spend my money to be honest.

As Bridgette is strategically committed to grow her following, she recognizes that

she needs to identify and prioritize what her followers want to see. The sustainable
lifestyle influencer uses their platform as a place to share their passions, which means
they have more flexibility in the types of content they produce. Sustainable lifestyle
influencers’ content creation encapsulates diverse topics and, as such, they have more
opportunities to monetize their platform as they are able to work with many different
brands and advertisers. Sustainability lifestyle influencers are liberated to post diverse
lifestyle social media content, which may not always depict sustainability or fashion.

Sustainability influencers
Sustainability influencers are influential content creators who use social media to
express their passion for fashion through a lens of sustainability and focus on edu-
cating their community around the benefits of sustainability. They use their social
media platforms to share how to create a sustainable life, including zero-waste life-
styles, vegan or vegetarian diets, and other environmental or sustainability topics.
162 J. JACOBSON AND B. HARRISON

Sustainability influencers view social media as a tool to shift their peers’ views on
sustainability and fashion. They encourage followers to engage in their posts and tag
them in their sustainability efforts as a tactic to grow their presence while also push-
ing their sustainability agenda. As differentiated from sustainability lifestyle influencers,
sustainability influencers constantly maintain their content focus on sustainability.
With a focused curated feed, candid moments are most typically shared on ephemeral
social media (such as Instagram Stories) as a way to connect with followers, but not
jeopardize their highly scrutinized feed.
These influencers attempt to inspire their followers to ask questions about their
clothing and analyze the consumer culture that is prevalent on social media platforms.
Sarah began her account with a 1-year self-directed challenge to only purchase thrifted
items and she has continued posting sustainability content ever since:

I want to show people that there’s so many cool clothes out there to thrift and they can
have a very personal expression, or dress to trends if they want… within the context of
taking things that already exist without having to go and buy things for cheap.

Sarah showcases how to engage in various sustainable fashion practices while on

a budget.
Sustainability influencers have a degree of accountability to their audience that
typical fashion influencers may not have. Their front stage self (Goffman 1959) expresses
their strong commitment to sustainability; as they do not want to lose face with fol-
lowers, they must hold onto this identity they created in order to meet their audiences’
expectations. Their followers place trust in the influencer’s opinion (Chwialkowska 2019),
thus sustainability influencers tend to feel accountable to their followers.

Thrifting influencers
Thrifting influencers are influential content creators who use social media to mainly
share their thrifted fashion. Thrifting influencers share content that shows followers
how thrifting can be fashionable and affordable, while engaging in pro-social shop-
ping behaviors. They discuss the financial benefits of thrifting clothing, and/or the
positive impact thrifting has on the environment and sustainability efforts. It is com-
mon for thrifting influencers to promote other brands that are not as heavily invested
in sustainability. Many thrifting influencers began thrifting due to financial reasons,
but became interested in thrifting’s connection to sustainability and creativity. Erica
explains that she began thrifting because of budget, but quickly learned about
sustainability:
I never really looked at sustainability in fashion… I never really had that idea in mind
until being part of the thrifting community, and that is how I learned more about it,
through seeing what other people were discussing, sharing, and reporting on.

Erica was able to develop a more holistic understanding of the role of thrifting as
a sustainable practice in conversations with others online. Becca similarly learned
about the connection thrifting has to sustainability through the online community.
Now a sustainability advocate, she states in her bio that her account promotes ethical
fashion.
 International Journal of Advertising 163

As thrifting influencers have not defined themselves as ‘sustainable’ to their peers,

there is less pressure placed on them to follow sustainable consumption habits. As
a result, some thrifting influencers make sustainability a priority, whereas others do not.
Thrifting influencers who thrift for sustainable reasons feel comfortable prioritizing
both thrifting and sustainable brands because their followers expect content that
combines both topics. Thrifting influencers who simply thrift for financial reasons are
the most comfortable partnering with various companies, including fast fashion,
sustainable, and lifestyle brands. These individuals have an easier time monetizing
their platform, but can experience criticism from their followers.
The three types of sustainable fashion social media influencers is introduced to
describe the varied practices and has implications for each influencer type’s content
creation, ability to monetize, and follower attraction. As Goffman (1959) describes,
individuals perform a ‘presentation of the self’. The passion for fashion and commit-
ment to sustainability exist as two independent dimensions. All influencers present
their interest in fashion, but the differentiator is their social media practices and level
of commitment to sustainability when monetizing their platform. Sustainable lifestyle
influencers utilize their platform to discuss multiple topics outside of fashion and
sustainability. Sustainability influencers prioritize discussing sustainability on their
platform. Finally, thrifting influencers spotlight thrifted fashion with varied levels of
commitment to sustainability. The following section analyzes how each influencer
type engages in content creation calibration.

Content creation calibration

‘Content creation calibration’ refers to the practice of social media influencers calibrating
their content to account for their ethics and desire for compensation. Sustainable
fashion social media influencers face challenges when they try to align their ethics
of sustainability with their desire for compensation; they experience difficulty when
seeking to earn a living through influencer marketing while still maintaining a com-
mitment to sustainability.
When discussing career aspirations, participants repeatedly expressed the difficulty
of monetizing their social media platforms due to the ethos attached to the term
‘sustainable’. This represents the challenge of combining sustainability efforts with
business as there is a clash between the two end goals. Alison explains that, as an
influencer working with a brand, you are promoting the purchase of products to make
a profit. However, the chief goal of sustainability is not about profit, but rather limiting
consumption and making the best choices for the environment (Geissdoerfer et  al.
2017). Sustainable fashion social media influencers engage in content creation calibra-
tion as they experience an internal struggle of combining sustainability and influencer
advertising. They are challenged when deciding which brand partnerships are ethical.
Almost all of the sustainable fashion social media influencers (19 of 20 participants)
have engaged in brand partnerships and they stress the importance of engaging in
partnerships that are aligned with their platform’s vision due to their concern for how
their front stage self will be evaluated and monitored by their followers. The following
section outlines the challenges that sustainable fashion social media influencers face
when trying to make a living using influencer marketing.
164 J. JACOBSON AND B. HARRISON

Firstly, many participants explain that they need to source brands that are a good
fit for sponsored content to ensure they align with their values before working with
them. They have worked hard to create their online brand, which is expressive of
their values, and they need to be cognisant of it when agreeing to partnerships. For
example, Kira, a thrifting influencer, stresses the importance of choosing brand deals
that her community will engage with:

Every brand deal that comes my way, I want to fit my niche, fit my community. I feel like
that makes it a lot more challenging to find those deals. It’s not the same as maybe a
beauty blogger or some other blogger that will say ‘yes’ to any deal that comes their way.

Secondly, advertisers often do not pay sustainable fashion social media influencers
as many brands attempt to limit their financial investment in the influencer, while
also gaining a free advertisement opportunity. Influencers are usually compensated
through indirect compensation in the form of free products or direct compensation
through monetary payment (Hwang and Jeong 2016); the majority of participants in
this research received indirect compensation, despite their desire for receiving mon-
etary payment for their work. For example, Sarah, a sustainability influencer, laments
that this is a huge challenge and prevents her from having a social media career:

Do I think that somebody can easily make [a] living off often influencing in this way?
No, probably not. I don’t actually think I’ve met anybody that I can think of that is able
to do it full time. There’re just not enough sustainable brands out there that are huge
and can pay big paycheques...

While some emerging influencers enjoy free products, others are frustrated that
they do not see financial compensation for their time, energy, and skills. Sustainable
fashion social media influencers see the digital information they create as essential
in changing consumer culture. The subjective meaning they create through interac-
tions with their following acts as a lens for them to interpret reality and organize
the consumption experience in a new light.
Thirdly, balancing disclosure and authenticity is a challenge for sustainable fashion
social media influencers. Alison describes her paid and unpaid collaboration with the
same company:

There’ve been two instances where they’ve [brands] sent me product and requested
photographs in exchange for payment. Then there have been times where they’ve sent
me products and just said, ‘Hey, could you post a photo on your story or on your page’,
and most companies will specify if it is [for] payment, that they’re paying you as an ad,
so the expectation is that it will be a good review.

Alison describes the difficulty influencers have in accepting payment when a brand
requests a review that does not allow them to express their authentic thoughts as
this creates a tension between their own personal ethics and their need for an income.
Many sustainable fashion social media influencers are not comfortable using the
required disclosure and promotional language provided by advertisers to promote
and sell products as they feel it is inauthentic and irresponsible to not provide their
followers with their own true opinion. Authenticity was repeatedly mentioned as a
 International Journal of Advertising 165

key element of their self-presentation practices. Influencers develop a front stage self
that shows highly curated glimpses of who they are in a way that is acceptable to
others. This creates a challenge for influencers who want to be financially compen-
sated as they must mediate the desire for authenticity with the desire to be paid for
their work. This struggle is similarly experienced by influencers in other industries;
previous research has found that most aspiring influencers do unpaid work to attract
brands and build their portfolio with the hope of finding a partnership that fits their
image and partnership guidelines (Duffy 2017). This challenge, however, becomes
exacerbated for sustainable fashion social media influencers as they must ensure they
are working with a reputable company that shares their commitment to
sustainability.
Sustainable fashion social media influencers hoping to grow their platform, or
become a full-time influencer, are not able to continuously accept unpaid work (i.e.
product as payment), and need to mediate their wish for authenticity and their need
for financial compensation through influencer marketing. As one participant explains,
free shoes and dresses are exciting at first, but they do not pay the bills. In order to
make a living they may need to go against the symbolic meaning of their platform
and risk seeming inauthentic as a result.
The three types of sustainable fashion social media influencers—sustainable lifestyle
influencers, sustainability influencers, and thrifting influencers—engage in content
creation calibration in different ways, which impacts the opportunities to monetize
their influencer status. The following section identifies the impact on each influencer
type and their opportunities to engage in future influencer marketing practices.

Sustainable lifestyle influencers and content creation calibration

Sustainable lifestyle influencers are challenged when engaging in content creation
calibration as they need to balance their sustainable and non-sustainable content
with brand partnerships because they are not singularly focused in their content
creation. Some sustainable lifestyle influencers create content based on what they
believe will grow their influencer status, even if it is not aligned with their sustain-
ability goals. They are willing to curate their front stage self to align with the desires
of their followers. This provides a glimpse into their backstage self as it shows their
motivation to grow their following, which is typically hidden as it can be perceived
as inauthentic. They tend to have less rigid guidelines with brand partnerships as
they seek to attract multiple audiences and endeavor to gain followers and ensure
their platform is growing. Alison has a strong commitment to sustainability, but is
also passionate about interior design and photography. In terms of brand partnerships,
Alison states, she ‘would never partner with a company that wasn’t sustainable’. Alison
has created a community of followers who share her passion for sustainability. Thus,
her followers’ comments reinforce her beliefs in sustainable fashion. In contrast,
Bridgette, another sustainable lifestyle influencer who is committed to finding paid
partnership opportunities as she is interested in being a full-time influencer, states:
Currently I’m working with [a fast fashion brand], which in my heart, makes me feel so
guilty that I am working with a fast fashion brand. Although I feel like the views on my
166 J. JACOBSON AND B. HARRISON

channel are doing decently, but sometimes even for myself I’m like, ‘Oh God. Is that my
ideal like sponsored sponsorship? No’. So I think that it’s hard.

In comparison to sustainable fashion brands, fast fashion brands often have the
ability to pay influencers as they are typically larger and more established businesses
(Hughes 2020). The challenge for some sustainable lifestyle influencers is the ability
to attract brand partnerships; however, it requires going against their sustainability
beliefs. For Bridgette, her brand partnership guidelines are less rigid and focus on
theme: ‘It definitely needs to be something that has to do with fashion or in that
realm’. While her passion lies with sustainability and her viewers engage with this
content the most, she still needs to engage in paid influencer marketing. She describes:
… If I get a sponsored video from a sustainable fashion brand, I definitely get more
views. I did a paid sponsored video with a skincare brand and from the views it’s obvi-
ous that they want to see thrifting and fashion. So that’s really hard though because a
lot of the sponsored content I do get is makeup and skin care brands… Those are the
people that want to pay me versus sustainable fashion brands….

It is difficult for sustainable lifestyle influencers to decide on the right type of

brand collaborations as they post about many topics, but feel they are at the mercy
of the brands who will pay for their content creation. Bridgette’s interactions with
fast fashion brands changes the narrative around shopping sustainably and her fol-
lowers do not condemn her for supporting fast fashion. Sustainable lifestyle influencers
are able to showcase a ‘messier’ version of sustainability.
Sustainable lifestyle influencers create sustainable content; however, they also
accept sponsorship agreements from brands in order to earn money. The challenge
is exacerbated for sustainable lifestyle influencers who want to make a career as a
social media influencer. They mediate this by attempting to balance both content
opportunities featuring sustainable fashion and fast fashion content. However, they
fear their viewership will decrease if their social media content becomes too sponsored
or too ‘off-brand’; consequently, they lose value to advertisers if their viewership
decreases and may lose future opportunities for influencer marketing.

Sustainability influencers and content creation calibration

Sustainability influencers are challenged when engaging in content creation calibration
as they have a strong moral obligation to their followers and are committed to their
sustainability mission. Their front stage self rests on the values of sustainability and
being a leader in this space. Sustainability influencers often try to avoid the
influencer-advertiser relationship, but still generate an income. Sustainability influencers
need to be creative in generating an income as many are resistant to engaging in
brand partnerships as they may view promoting the purchase of new clothing as an
unsustainable practice.
Sustainability influencers explain the impossibility of making social media their
only source of income; Jess describes:
There are so many big fast fashion brands engaging in partnerships with influencers,
which is where the majority of the money in sponsorships are, not in sustainable fashion.
 International Journal of Advertising 167

I can’t go and work with [a fast fashion brand]… It’s hard, because money is not in
sustainable, but I think it’s heading in that direction… [A large retailer] just announced
it now has a second-hand section. So, it’s improving. I’m not going to make money on
this right now, but maybe in 10 years, as more brands are getting more sustainable, I’ll
be able to work with them.

Although sustainability is an increasingly popular marketing buzzword, there are

limited brands engaging in sustainability in an ethical way (Lyon and Montgomery
2015), which makes relying on brand partnerships difficult for sustainability influencers.
Sustainability influencers and their followers define themselves by what they do not
engage with, for example refusing to work with fast fashion brands and presenting
the moral high ground. Followers’ comments that this act is inspirational further
solidifies this version of the influencer’s front stage self. Many find deeper meaning
in their work because of the connection to sustainability; neglecting this sustainability
commitment would mean they are more akin to regular fashion influencers, which
would minimize their platform’s sense of importance and purpose.
Sustainability influencers need to develop alternative ways to earn a living that does
not rely on third-party advertising. As such, many create sustainable products for pur-
chase (such as e-books and merchandise), resell items, and do thrift flips (i.e. taking a
thrifted item and making it something else). They leverage their social media platforms
to directly sell to their followers; they capitalize on their influencer status in a way that
is both ethical and sustainable to them and bypass working with advertisers.
Mary, a sustainability influencer, explains that she wants to create her own mer-
chandise line as a way to earn money. She explains:
One challenge for me in 2020 has been to create a thrift course, create merch, create
tangible value that maybe its educational or maybe its clothing. I think with clothing
I have to be careful, but you have to provide tangible value or actual value to your
consumers, especially if you’re trying to make a living or income off of influencing in
the sustainability niche.

When a sustainability influencer develops their own products for sale, they gain
independence from brands and are less reliant on those brand partnerships, which
introduces challenges for advertisers seeking to partner with sustainability influencers.

Thrifting influencers and content creation calibration

Thrifting influencers are challenged when engaging in content creation calibration as
they prefer to work with thrifting companies. As thrifting influencers are already
posting content about thrift stores for free, it is extremely difficult to secure monetary
compensation. Furthermore, many thrift stores are charities or not-for-profits and do
not have the means to pay for advertising. As a result, some thrifting influencers
branch out and partner with sustainable brands they believe have some relevance
to their following in order to earn money. If the thrifting influencer has less commit-
ment to sustainability, then they may seek other brands to partner with.
Thrifting influencers need to be innovative in how to monetize their influencer
status. Anne exclusively posts about thrifting, so she seeks partnerships with thrift-
ing stores:
168 J. JACOBSON AND B. HARRISON

I became a blog contributor to a second-hand store. That led to a different conversation

about how can we take the conversation offline. So, then I started to pitch different ideas
to them… I created a curriculum called ‘Thrift Night Out’ where we do a workshop where
I literally teach customers how to thrift and then we go shop… Stores in neighboring
cities started to pay attention and were reaching out to me asking me to plan events
with them. The majority of them are paid because I pretty much do 100% of the work.
I pitch the idea. I promote it. If there’s a curriculum, I write it.

Anne mitigates the monetization challenges by using her popularity online to sell
her own tangible products, such as in-person events and thrift guides. She has pre-
sented herself as a thrifting educator and continually manages this impression through
her ability to monetize in innovative ways.
Similar to sustainable fashion influencers, thrifting influencers also create tangible
products they can sell as a solution to balance desires of sustainability and making
an income. Unlike sustainability influencers, thrifting influencers sell thrifting-related
products, like thrift courses or e-books, that teach shoppers how to find clothing at
thrift stores.
Thrifting influencers may feel it is inauthentic to partner with companies that are
not thrift stores, yet some thrifting influencers may partner with sustainability brands
or other brands. Becca, a thrifting influencer, engages in brand partnerships outside
of thrifting, but only with sustainable brands. In comparison to Anne, she has a smaller
following, but is hopeful about building a successful social media influencer career:
I’ve only gotten approached by a couple of companies and they weren’t thrifting related.
It was more ethical fashion stuff. One was [a sustainable brand]: they have handmade,
really expensive… I would never be able to afford it … clogs. I have also partnered with
[a sustainable brand]: the underwear company.

Becca questions her purpose as an influencer and how she can stay true to her
thrifting content, while working with sustainable fashion companies. Becca does not
want to disappoint her audience and adapts her behavior accordingly (Goffman 1959;
Marwick and Boyd 2011); however, she has reconciled her own feelings towards
promoting sustainable fashion brands as this has become a passion of hers through
her interactions with other thrifting and sustainable fashion influencers.
Thrifting influencers who do not place a strong emphasis on sustainability are less
limited when attempting to monetize as their front stage self will not be threatened
when partnering with brands. Since they do not have such strict guidelines regarding
brand partnerships, they perceive their audience to be less critical. Sienna, a thrifting
influencer who is passionate about sustainability, but driven to make a career as an
influencer, engages in partnerships with larger lifestyle companies as a way to alleviate
the pressure of having to monetize directly off of thrifting.
Sustainability is something that I had very little knowledge of when I first started YouTube,
but now it’s great how much more information is out there and how many more creators
are talking about it… so I want to incorporate this more into my platform.

By accepting these partnerships with large brands, Sienna is able to remove the
financial pressure of finding an alternative way to monetize her thrifting account. Kira
also engages in partnerships and describes the two criteria she has when engaging
in partnerships:
 International Journal of Advertising 169

I have definitely had quite a few brands reach out to me to promote different things.
I’ve done a lot with the thrift store in town and they’ll usually pay with a gift card to
the store, which has been nice and helped promote their brand while also supporting
my mission of thrifting. But I’ve also worked with not sustainable brands as well… When
you start out, brands will just want you to do a product for post and as you get larger
you can ask for money basically. As I was first starting out, I did quite a few partnerships
where I received a product and post about it. I need a new shampoo, so I did a post
for shampoo. I try to do brands that I like or if it’s a product that I will actually use. I
try to only do partnerships that make sense for me… I want it to be as real as possible.

For influencers like Kira, it is more authentic for her to partner with brands that
will provide her with items she will keep and use. Similar to what Wellman et  al.
(2020) found, influencers use their own personal understanding of authenticity as a
driving principle when engaging in sponsored content. Depending on a thrifting
influencer’s commitment to sustainability, they may either develop innovative ways
to monetize their platform or elect to engage in partnerships with sustainable or
non-sustainable brands, which have relevance to their following and enables them
to still assert a sense of authenticity. In this strategic process, the influencer is engaged
in impression management (Goffman 1959) to ensure their personality is aligned with
the social norms developed on their platform and in their followers’ comments.
In summary, the three types of sustainable fashion social media influencers engage
in content creation calibration in different ways: each influencer type struggles with
a different issue when monetizing their platform—be it value, money, or principles.
Due to their commitment to sustainability, the normative strategies that other social
media influencers use to monetize their social media platforms are challenging.
Sustainable fashion social media influencers are limited in the brands they can work
with as they risk being perceived as ‘selling out’. Sustainable fashion social media
influencers must calibrate the need to monetize their influencer status and their desire
to promote positive sustainable changes to their followers.
Viewed through the lens of symbolic interaction and Goffman’s performativity
theory, the findings describe how sustainable fashion social media influencers engage
in impression management to ensure their content is aligned with their commitment
to sustainability while also attempting to monetize. The interaction with their platform
and peers impacts their online behavior.
As brands invest in sustainability, there will be future opportunities for sustainable
fashion social media influencers to engage in influencer marketing. Brands and adver-
tisers representing lifestyle products may be best suited to working with sustainable
lifestyle influencers due to their ability to discuss different topics. These influencers
have less rigid guidelines in terms of who they partner with and their connection to
sustainability, which makes it easier to form partnerships with brands that may not
be fully aligned with sustainability. Sustainability influencers are best suited to working
with entirely sustainable brands due to their niche focus on sustainability. Typically,
these individuals educate their followers on sustainability practices and value por-
traying authenticity to their followers. Brands that hope to tap into this niche market
will benefit from engaging with sustainability influencers and understanding how
they decide on partnerships. Finally, thrifting influencers are the most difficult to
partner with; some sustainable brands may be interested in partnering with these
influencers. Brands with less expensive items, which are upcycled or made from
170 J. JACOBSON AND B. HARRISON

recycled materials will do well with thrifting influencers’ followers. Advertisers engaging
in influencer marketing within the realm of sustainability need to consider the bal-
ancing act sustainable fashion social media influencers face when deciding on an
ethical partnership while promoting sustainability.

Conclusion
Given the growing interest in sustainability, there are future opportunities in sustain-
able influencer marketing. Although there is consumer interest in sustainability,
research evidences that consumer interest is not enough to effect purchasing decisions
(Herédia-Colaço and Coelho do Vale 2018; Niinimäki 2010). Sustainable fashion social
media influencers can be utilized as a marketing tool: there is an opportunity for
marketing agencies to work with sustainable fashion social media influencers in order
to promote the awareness of sustainable fashion brands and the purchase of sustain-
able goods.
As an important contribution, the research identifies ‘content creation calibration’,
which is important to understanding the challenge sustainable fashion social media
influencers have when trying to balance their commitment to sustainability along
with their entrepreneurial endeavors. The three types of sustainable fashion social
media influencers are impacted in different ways; each experience difficulty in mon-
etizing their platform while holding onto the values of sustainability. Sustainable
lifestyle influencers create content about various topics and are less restricted by the
type of brand partnerships they enter into; however, they struggle to find a balance
between sustainable and non-sustainable content and partnership agreements.
Sustainability influencers are challenged when engaging in content creation calibration
due to their strong commitment to sustainability, which limits their partnership oppor-
tunities to only sustainable brands. They find innovative ways to monetize their
platforms through creating products in a strategy to avert normative influencer-brand
partnerships. Finally, thrifting influencers operate within such a niche that they are
extremely limited in their partnership opportunities. While some thrifting influencers
are not opposed to engaging in partnerships with sustainable or non-sustainable
brands, others seek creative solutions to engage in content creation calibration, such
as developing their own items to sell.
Each influencer type addresses content creation calibration according to how they
prioritize sustainability. The strong commitment to sustainability makes it challenging
for sustainable fashion social media influencers to profit from influencer marketing.
This tension highlights the difficulty of promoting sustainability through consumption,
which speaks to the challenge sustainable fashion social media influencers face if
they want to achieve financial success.
Theoretically, the research uncovers influencers’ backstage struggle to calibrate
their sustainability and desire for compensation on their platform. The theoretical
framework was applied to analyze influencers’ self-presentation, which uncovered the
tensions between authenticity, professional goals, and personal values. The research
highlights how these influencers appear on social media and don specific portrayals
of the self to present authenticity and passion for sustainability, while also engaging
in their entrepreneurial endeavors.
 International Journal of Advertising 171

Managerial implications
There are challenges for both influencers and advertisers in promoting sustainable goods.
Advertisers are challenged with identifying appropriate influencers for their influencer
marketing campaigns. Advertisers can use the research to determine which type of sus-
tainable fashion social media influencer best suits their marketing needs; each type of
influencer provides brands with access to a unique group of potential consumers with
varying levels of dedication to sustainability. The research provides insight into under-
standing what influencers are looking for in collaborations, which has the practical impli-
cation of supporting advertisers in pitching influencer marketing collaborations in the future.
Advertisers need to understand influencers’ content creation calibration when working
with sustainable fashion social media influencers. Advertisers engaging in influencer mar-
keting within the realm of sustainability need to consider the balancing act sustainable
fashion social media influencers face when deciding on an ethical partnership while pro-
moting sustainability. As the consumer desire for sustainability grows, advertisers may
increasingly leverage influencers who discuss sustainability in order to connect with their
target market. By gaining awareness of this issue, advertisers will be able to select the
correct influencer for a successful marketing campaign. Some consumers may follow all
three types of influencers or elect to follow one type of influencer depending on their
interests, which is an important consideration for advertisers when developing influencer
marketing strategies. Barriers to brand partnerships and fair remuneration may prevent
sustainable fashion social media influencers from financial success. Despite the benefits of
influencer marketing, brands may struggle with the scrutiny that comes with engaging in
influencer marketing and must ensure that they prioritize accountability and communication
of their sustainable practices.

Limitations and future research

While the qualitative approach seeks depth over generalizability, a limitation of this
research is the number of participants involved; a larger study would provide a more
generalizable understanding of sustainable fashion social media influencers. A longi-
tudinal study that tracked sustainable fashion social media influencers over time could
provide rich data to analyze the changes that become apparent as a sustainable
fashion social media influencer grows their platform. An extension of the research to
other sustainable industries would afford an understanding of how aspiring influencers
outside fashion are engaging in content creation calibration.
The research participants were all women and thus cannot describe men’s experience
as sustainable fashion social media influencers. Furthermore, the final interview pool
was largely white women, which is typical in social media influencer research as there
is an underrepresentation of BIPOC. This research highlighted the lack of diversity;
therefore, there is an opportunity to focus on the experiences of racialized sustainable
fashion social media influencers. The limitations of this research opens opportunities
for future research and we hope that content creation calibration can be fruitfully
employed in future research. The ethical dilemmas can be faced by other categories
of influencers and we hope that future researchers can analyze the content creation
calibration of influencers in other areas (e.g. beauty, gaming, fitness, youth influencers).
172 J. JACOBSON AND B. HARRISON

Data availability
This study uses qualitative data whereby participants were not asked to agree to their data
being available for other studies. Due to privacy and ethical concerns, the transcripts of the
original interviews cannot be made publicly available. Ethical approval for this research study
was granted by Ryerson University.

Disclosure statement
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Funding
The research was supported by the Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University
(TRSM Research Advancement Grant).

Notes on contributors
Jenna Jacobson is an Assistant Professor at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of
Management. She is also a Research Fellow at Ryerson’s Social Media Lab. Her research analyzes
the consumer and producer perspectives of digital technologies with a focus on social media,
branding, and digital retailing.
Brooke Harrison is a graduate of the Communication and Culture Master’s Program at Ryerson
and York University. She is also a Research Assistant at the Ted Rogers School of Management.
Her research focus analyzes the intersection of media and popular culture, focusing on social
media influencers, sustainable consumption habits, and digital community building.

ORCID
Jenna Jacobson http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1371-1077

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