Kelsey Hatchitt may not be recognized when walking down the street in the US, but her feminist IG account @femislay is a public act of rebellion. Kelsey’s relatable content delves into the personal and political with humor and refreshing simplicity. With a rapidly growing community of over 60 thousand followers, she is a force of change to be reckoned with.

It all started in 2016, Kelsey’s last year as an undergraduate student, when she decided to open a new IG account where she could share inspiring feminist content without bombarding friends on her personal account. Femislay is now an essential place to reflect on a range of topics including intersectional feminism, social change and mental health, all while making us crack up. She’s not here to school anyone, though.

“The posts on the platform tend to reflect what I’m going through in life, and the things I create are a mirror of what I want to be learning about and what I want to be practicing. Ideally, that’s what I would like Femislay to be – not a platform where I teach people, but a platform where I get to share what I’m learning.”

Consistent with her mission, her posts are a mix of original tweets and memes, and top content from around the web. One thing is for sure, Femislay is guaranteed to make you question what you know and help you heal in the process.

Kelsey is committed to elevating the stories of women of all backgrounds. She lived in Malaysia for two years and took this as an opportunity to start the Muslim Women You Should Know series, including social entrepreneur Funmi Abari and Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. Her Black History Month series featured lesser-known US figures like GPS technology pioneer Dr Gladys West and community women’s health worker Mary Francis Hill Coley. Kelsey shared with us her future plans to expand the series to other communities of colour.

Femislay is an ever-evolving platform, and Kelsey’s most recent content has turned personal. She now shares candid stories of her struggle with OCD and depression. By having a public conversation about the everyday challenges of mental illness and useful coping mechanisms, she hopes to spread awareness and de-stigmatise getting help. Kelsey curates and publishes a weekly newsletter and the brilliant Femislay Guide to Self-Care on Patreon. Moreover, Femislay makes a valuable resource available every day to all followers: the daily check-in. Through a series of Instagram stories with Yes or No answers, Kelsey reminds us to breathe, be grateful and practice self-care. Femislay won’t just make you laugh; it will also invite you to celebrate your small victories.

The Yes List asked Kelsey for the best advice she’s ever received, and we are here for her reply.

“When we see someone crying and automatically want to reach out and comfort them and tell them it’s going to be okay – that reaction isn’t for them. We get uncomfortable with other people’s pain and so we do everything we can to eliminate it, not because we want to make them feel better, but because we want to feel better.”

Kelsey now practices pausing before responding to make sure she does not selfishly dismiss or invalidate someone else’s feelings. Yes, we know, she’s amazing.

Kelsey has a plethora of exciting ideas for her account and has just started a Master of Social Work, so make sure you follow Femislay and get ready for more thoughtful and uplifting feminist content.

Kelsey Hatchitt, Femislay