We were lucky to catch up with Becca Gargiulo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Becca, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
It’s impossible to pick just one, but some of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on took place during Earth Month last year (April 2022). My schedule was packed with a variety of environmentally-focused activities as I wrapped up my last semester of college at VCU.
For Fashion Revolution Week, which takes place on the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, I attended a clothing swap via our EcoFashion Club, tabled on-campus for my Fashion and Sustainability class, and gave a presentation to my department (Dance and Choreography!) about FRW, which culminated in having my peers DM their favorite brands and ask them to better support garment workers.
I also tabled for my school’s VegClub and spoke on a student-organized panel about the sustainability of veganism. In addition, I had the pleasure of performing in my friend Lucia Biondi’s BFA capstone project, “re- [form/purpose/define],” which explored the intersections of fashion and waste.
Outside of school, I gave my first podcast interview on The Pondering Polymath Podcast about my work as a sustainable content creator, and I gave an interview for a graduate student researching sustainable fashion and social media.
I definitely over-committed a little bit (that’s very typical of me!), but in the end, all of my hard work was SO rewarding! My sustainability practices are often quite isolated because I typically focus on making changes in my personal life and sharing those via digital content, which is a one-woman show. However, these projects all brought my environmentalism into my communities, leading to wonderful collaboration and conversation, which I believe is key to making tangible change in the world. In particular, I adored participating in Lucia’s project because it allowed me to merge both my passion for dance and the planet. Exploring that intersection and focusing on more community-based projects are two things I hope to continue doing, especially as I transition from school into new places and spaces!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I’ve been interested in both dance and environmentalism for as long as I can remember, and I always knew I wanted to pursue them as careers. I took advantage of every dance opportunity I could growing up, and in May 2022 I graduated with my BFA in Dance and Choreography from VCU. I’m now working as the Development and Marketing Assistant at the American Dance Festival in Durham, NC, and I love using my Type A strengths to support my favorite art form! I also hope to explore more performance and teaching endeavors in the near future.
As for my interest in content creation, I always say I was raised on YouTube! Content creation really developed during the same time I was growing up, and the visual creativity of it appealed a lot to me. I played with making YouTube videos on and off throughout high school, held back by insecurity and anxiety until I finally faced my fears and committed to what I loved in college. During that time, I had gone vegan and started practicing zero waste, and I knew that had to be the focus of my content. Now, I create content primarily on Instagram and YouTube about my (imperfect!) ethical, sustainable, and intentional lifestyle. I share a lot about veganism, slow fashion, zero waste, thrifting, and wellness, always aiming to capture the nuance of environmentalism by encouraging my audience to find the actions that work for them. I believe we all have a role to play, and no two roles look the same; our progress can be imperfect and diverse, and it is progress all the same. I love how content creation allows me to exercise my creativity for good, and I am always wishing I could find more time to dedicate to this hobby/side hustle!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In middle school, I was diagnosed with scoliosis, which is the abnormal curvature of the spine. I went through a variety of doctors and braces, but my treatment was ultimately ineffective; two days after my 18th birthday, I underwent spinal fusion surgery. I spent 5 days in the hospital, and then began my dance BFA program just two months later. I had to learn how to dance with incredibly limited mobility in my spine, which was honestly devastating. It felt like something had been unfairly taken away from me, and the pain – both physically and emotionally – was tremendous. I couldn’t imagine a future without dance though, and so I kept going to class and trying to move forward, day after day. I learned a lot about access and inclusion in dance spaces as well as how to advocate for myself. I’m still trying to figure out what my place in dance is, and I hope the dance world will continue to evolve and progress as well.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Hands down, helping others! I have always loved the intertwined processes of learning and teaching, which are so steeped in both my dance practices and content creation. I really enjoy growing my own knowledge and then finding accessible and understandable ways to share that information. Nothing makes me happier than when someone tells me my Instagram is helping them, and I am always happy to answer questions about sustainability or any of my other journeys. Seriously, just send me a DM and we can chat!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.beccagargiulo.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becca.gargiulo/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/beccagargiulo
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/b.g.dance/