‘Pain to purpose’: Bogan Barbie advocating one TikTok at a time
Amy Livermore is breaking down barriers about issues many feel uncomfortable discussing such as domestic violence and mental illness with her TikTok ‘Bogan Barbie’ developing a cult following.
Illawarra Star
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An Illawarra human rights advocate is “shifting her pain into purpose” by openly discussing her experiences as a single mother and domestic violence survivor online.
Amy Livermore, 26, is the face behind the TikTok account ‘Bogan Barbie’ which has generated a following of more than 70,000 users.
The 26-year-old’s content broaches subjects such as consent, mental health and abortion with some of her videos receiving more than a million views.
Ms Livermore, a proud Indigenous woman, spent much of her upbringing in the Shoalhaven with her “rock star” mum, Rachel Stanberg, leaving Wollongong to escape domestic violence.
Her family returned to the Illawarra for educational opportunities with Ms Livermore now studying social science at the University of Wollongong.
“Domestic violence has been a massive struggle throughout my whole life,” Ms Livermore told NewsLocal during a chat outside the UOW UniBar.
“I was always wondering what was going on [in my mum’s life] and as I started dating when I got older I started realising I was falling into those relationships as well.
“I found myself in one and I was pregnant – it was awful.
“Now I am studying social science and I want to get into psychology or criminology. I’ve been studying for years, but physical and emotional abuse in past relationships took a toll on my studies.
“My mum is a nurse at the Wollongong hospital for mental health and she owns her own home – she’s an absolute rock star.”
Ms Livermore turned to TikTok to tell her story and express her emotions with her account turning into a de facto support network.
“[My account] went off a couple of years ago when I started talking about being a single mother and having ADHD and other mental illnesses,” she said.
“Also talking about domestic violence with a lot of my followers actually being single mothers who have experienced domestic violence.
“I talk to a lot of other women, especially through my Instagram. I get a lot of messages saying thank you, keep going, can you help me.
“It’s nice to let other women and also children know they’re not alone.
“I feel if you have a platform and you’re not utilising it to make someone else feel less alone and speaking up on issues like male patriarchy then you aren’t using your platform right.”
As for the name, Bogan Barbie, Ms Livermore doesn’t shy away from her roots and the need to show a semblance of reality on social media.
“You can hear the accent?” she laughed.
“On [TikTok] you can see I am a bit of a bogan. I am not always going to be in my hair and makeup.
“While I love doing that, I’m not always that person. I can be a bit of a Barbie doll, but I am very bogan and I’m open to showing my flaws online.”
Having a platform on social media leaves people open for backlash with Bogan Barbie no different.
“Oh yeah, you can get some really hateful comments on there,” Ms Livermore said.
“I get called Pauline Hanson a lot and told I look like Pauline Hanson.
“I get a lot of criticism when I talk about fathers who shouldn’t be in people’s lives because I am very vocal about if you can’t be a good father then you shouldn’t be in the child’s life – don’t keep coming in and out. I get a lot of hate about that.”
Ms Livermore will be involved in UOW’s inaugural Respect Week which kicks off on Monday, August 29.
The week will entail five days of panel discussions, training opportunities for staff and students, and activities based around the themes of cultural respect, sexual harassment and assault, equity, diversity and inclusion.
Ms Livermore will be speaking during a seminar dubbed “Shaping the next generation of respect” on Wednesday, August 31.
“I am really looking forward to UOW Respect Week because it will be a chance to meet other people and other survivors,” Ms Livermore said.
“I am looking forward to speaking about generational trauma and speaking about shaping the next generation.
“It’s something I am very passionate about in raising my daughter. I am conscious and learning about what to say to her and how to treat her so she has a really strong backbone as a woman so she can identify when she’s being abused.”
The headline guest for the week is 2021 Australian of the Year, Grace Tame, who will give a keynote address the following day.
Ms Livermore told The Illawarra Star she can’t wait to meet her fellow sexual assault advocate.
“I am really excited for Grace Tame,” she said.
“I remember some people would say why would she disrespect Scott Morrison like that, but you’re like, are you serious? It’s embedded in society to always judge the woman.
“She is an icon and she is leading the way for so many other women to stand up and speak out.”
The full program for UOW Respect Week can be found here.
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