I’ve been covering Alaskan Bush People for a long time now and have closely watched as the family have grown and developed as people as time passes — none more so than youngest daughter Rain Brown.
Fans have seen the 14-year-old become increasingly active on social media in recent months, and after writing several articles based on what she has said two things have started to strike me.
Firstly, how mature the content that she puts out into the world is despite her young age. Secondly, just how positive the messages are that she chooses to spread.
Rain recently updated her social media bios to describe herself as an “aspiring motivational speaker/writer” along with her day job as being “that weird girl from that show ABP” (her own words).
With more than 32,000 fans on her Instagram her responsibility, like that of all celebrities, is great. What she decides to post and say can directly influence the thoughts of those who follow and look up to her, many of whom will be teenage girls like herself.
As mentioned above, they always follow a general theme — they are both mature and unrelentingly positive. This comes despite her currently having to deal with her mother Ami battling cancer (she is just starting a second course of chemotherapy). Rain also recently revealed she is dealing with her own issues, including depression.
It also comes despite her unconventional upbringing, spending time on the family homestead in Alaska that formed the basis for the show then being uprooted to California as her mom undergoes treatment — all the while being under the fierce glare of the public spotlight which, for better or worse, celebrity brings.
I was prompted to write this article after a recent post Rain put up on Instagram that really struck a chord with me. The topic? Equality — and embracing difference, something she has touched on several times in recent posts.
It began: “Equality is SO important. No one is better no matter their sexuality, skin color or gender. We are all people, it’s so sad to me that we are living in 2017 and STILL we are not all treated equal.” She added: “If you’re different, good!”
Another post she wrote recently said: “We are all so beautiful inside and out, it doesn’t matter if you’re straight, gay, bisexual, old, young, male, female, trans, non binary, single, married, thick, thin, muscly, all that matters is if you are kind.”
In her recent post she talked about something which regularly affects her — ageism — and argued that just because she is 14 that doesn’t make her “any less of a person”, and that her thoughts should have just as much weight as those of someone much older than her. Quite right.
Here’s the post in full:
Rain has been subject to all manner of online abuse from trolls in recent months covering everything from the quality of her singing voice — she often likes to share videos of herself singing on Instagram — to the plain ridiculous, like what her tongue looks like. And often, for just being “different”.
People have repeatedly told her to give up her dream of singing because of her voice, or that she’s “too young” to dream of doing the things she wants to do, or to “get an education” (even though she recently revealed she is currently studying for the GED).
But what is her response to that and to the regular abuse she suffers? To spread love, be kind to others, and tell others to do the same.
The world needs more messages like that. As Rain says: “#staystrong, #stayhappy, #equalityforeveryone.”