Student challenges norms and inspires thousands through social media with figure skating and body positivity
December 19, 2023
December 19, 2023
Across her social media channels, there are over 93,000 people who know her as an inspiring figure skater.
When Dubin first began figure skating as a young girl, she had no idea that her passion would be where it is today.
“I got into figure skating when I was 6 years old. My mom took me to a public skate session and I knew from that day on I had to be a figure skater,” Dubin said.
When Dubin was accepted into Quinnipiac, she joined the club figure skating team her first semester.
“Fifty percent of why I chose Quinnipiac is because of the skating team. The other 50% was because the School of Communications made me feel confident that I would be prepared for career success in post-grad,” Dubin said.
At figure-skating practices, Dubin would take time out to record some videos of her progress.
“I first posted skating content back in 2018 solely as an archival way to clear up my phone storage every month. I fully expected nothing to come of it and by the end of 2022 had a solid following of about 500 on Instagram.”
This past February, Dubin decided to create a TikTok account and began posting videos.
“Within a couple of days, I gained about 20 followers until a video of mine went viral later that month on the platform,” said Dubin. “I was in full denial that it was going viral until the view count was over 2 million and, next thing I know, I had 35,000 followers in a matter of days.”
The majority of Dubin’s followers are women and queer individuals of all ages, she said.
“They love my content because it's inspirational and motivational for them to see a bigger body type reflected in a sport that has minimal body diversity,” Dubin said.
While she is an exceptional skater, it is not her skating moves and tricks that have landed her dozens of viral videos – it is her focus on body positivity in a sport where there tends to be very little.
“All types of bodies deserve to take up space and there is a place for you on the ice. Do not be discouraged to try something because you do not fit society's unattainable standards – you are seen, you are capable, you are worthy of whatever you want to do in life,” she said.
Among the comments she has received:
“You are poetry in motion”
“Beautiful and powerful! You are my new skating inspiration”
Dubin’s passion for social media and content creation is a huge part of why she has been so successful across her platforms.
As an undergraduate studying communications and media studies, Dubin is also pursuing a master’s degree in interactive communications and media through the university’s 3+1 accelerated dual degree program.
“My Quinnipiac education has prepared me to be successful in this role by making me feel extremely confident in who I am and who I am meant to be,” said Dubin. “Having worked on so many group projects and presentations I know how to lead a group of people, research media strategies, understand and analyze media audiences, and how to be a good storyteller because at the end of the day, that is what's at the core of working in the communications field.”
When she first joined Quinnipiac’s club figure skating team, there was no designated position for a social media chair. Dubin changed that.
“I made the social chair position my own to include running all forms of media from video, photo, and socials for the team. Before, responsibilities for the position were only focused on building team bonding and communication with other club sports. I built our Instagram to be the third most followed club sports social media account,” Dubin said.
While Dubin has found a knack for social media management and content creation, she is especially excited looking toward the future as she approaches graduating with her bachelor’s degree in May.
“The communications world is my oyster; there's so much I can do with my career and I'm open to it all,” she said. “Covering figure skating in my future career in some capacity is hopefully in my future. There's truly no better feeling than when your passions and career overlap for the better!”
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