Georgina Grogan She/Her is a multi award winning plus size fashion and beauty blogger. She’s the founder of both She might be online magazine and She might be loved blog. Georgina is also a brilliant advocate and educator for both the disabled and plus sized communities. Sharing hers and others’ lived experiences. And I’m delighted to say that Georgina is the first in my new series of interviews with Deaf/Neurodivergent/Chronically Ill and Disabled creators.
Can you tell us a bit about your condition/disability?
I was in a car accident 7 years ago, it wasn’t traumatic thankfully but I started off with chronic whiplash that then turned into chronic spinal pain and eventually I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome/ME as well. I’m basically very sleepy and always in pain!
What is one thing you’d like people to know about your condition?
That I don’t enjoy needing others for things. After seeing the odd negative comment online it really does make me upset that people would even comment on it. I was fiercely independent beforehand, I love spending time on my own and sometimes with my pain levels, that’s not really an option.
What are three things that have helped you?
1 – Massage/heat pads, I have several different kinds for different areas, different types of pains and different rooms.
2 – Comfortable bed and bedding. I invested in the premium version of my favourite mattress, I have about 6 pillows, as well as a big pregnancy pillow, and super comfy linen bedding.
3 – My wheelchair, Goldie is the best.
What is something you know now that you wish you’d known when you first became diagnosed?
Oh SO much! I just got given the term, I already knew I was super tired and always in pain but the migraines? The brain fog? The different pains I might have and when to panic and when not. I feel like I’ve learnt everything so slowly along the way and I’m still learning. For example when it comes to light/sound/touch sensitivity, well we learnt that the hard way!
I feel like I’ve learnt everything so slowly along the way and I’m still learning.
What are three of your favourite social media accounts and why?
Instagram, it wasn’t until I started posting photos in my wheelchair that I opened up more about being disabled on there and now I’ve made so many friends, people check in on me if I’m quieter, it’s just such a lovely supportive place.
Twitter, although I constantly overthink my own tweets, it’s still the best way to see what everyone is up to and connect easily.
Tiktok, honestly why I didn’t get Tiktok sooner I don’t know! With so many people being stuck at home, it’s really thrived and the content is just absolutely hilarious. It can make me laugh for hours on end, plus after posting a couple of my videos, they’re super supportive over there too!
Where is your happy place?
Definitely in water! I love swimming pools, hot tubs, baths.
If you could go anywhere at the touch of a button (all accessibility/medicinal needs catered to) where would you go?
We always go to the same place as our family friend lives there, Almeria, and it really is a lovely little Spanish town. We love that there are rarely any other English people there so it forces me to practice and get better at Spanish, which I so want to be fluent in. The food is amazing, the mountains are picturesque and most places have an amazing pool.
What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I’m actually a pretty big gamer! I’ll be on the PS5 most nights in the Warzone.
What are five things that make you happy?
1 – My girls, I have 3 beautiful cats, the youngest was a complete surprise from my brother and his girlfriend as we really needed a boost from being in since the start of the pandemic, she is wild and we love it.
2 – My family, Alfie and my best friend. We have such a lovely little family and as we can’t see each other as much we’ve all been sending each other little random gifts and it’s so cute. We’ll do door stop visits often whilst we’re giving each other things and presents too but I can’t wait until we can all go out properly
3 – CoD Time. Most nights me and Ryan will wind down and play CoD, talk about our days, work, have a therapy session. We’ve even started watch parties where we’ll watch the same film and message each other throughout it with our thoughts.
4 – Blogging and the community. I’ve made such amazing friends through blogging and it continues to bring me joy writing posts and helping other people.
5 – Organising/clearing out, I haven’t stopped all year!
What is the best thing about your job?
Being a freelancer, full-time blogger and social media manager, basically working for myself is SO flexible, I can really work it around my pain levels that day. I am an extremely fast worker so even if I don’t have many ‘good’ hours in a day, I still manage to get done what I absolutely need to.
When you’re not working, how do you like to spend your time?
Clearing out, organising, giving things away, watching a new series or program, or playing CoD! I’ve really mastered the art of staying busy within the 4 walls of my house but I can’t wait to go out and have hobbies again, like shopping until Goldie is about to break!
What is your most-used emoji?
Laughing face when I’m not typing lmfao
If you could instantly become an expert in something what would it be?
Such a boring answer but probably SEO or something that would help my blog to be seen by more people. I really love blogging and all things online.
What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
What is a song that you have to sing along to?
Most things Disney!
Georgina is one of my favourite accounts to follow on Instagram and has been such a help and support to me in my own disability journey. You can find her online on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, blog and magazine.
Thank you so much to Georgina for being the first in this new series and be sure to check back to see who is next!
