Interview with the Neapolitan influencer By N.Yakova
In 1965 the Italian magazine Linus presented a character who marked the history of Italian comics, becoming a worldwide celebrity. The Milanese artist Guido Crepax, inspired by the American diva Louise Brooks, created Valentina, a character full of eroticism, who lived the adventures of an almost real life in comics, halfway between the gothic and the erotic. They were different stories from those that had been proposed in comics until then.
We like to think of the one we will talk about in this article as the embodiment of this character.
She is a beautiful millennial, confident and provocative, originally from Caivano, a northern suburb of Naples who, just like the character in Crepax, started working as a photographer. Certainly characterized by a greater femininity than Valentina, she shows similar attitudes, sometimes as a femme fatale, other times as an investigator of situations which, given the historical moment, can be defined as sci-fi. Her name is Sarah Penelope Robin. A true daughter of this time, it can be said that she is one of the few positive characters, with good potential and a certain ethics. Although she is an influencer, what she communicates and shares online is far from what trendsetters usually post. You won’t see asses and tits or futile and consumerist propaganda but you will listen to monologues, poems, songs and thoughts of an intelligent, constructive, communicative and talented woman. In short, she is a multifaceted artist who, compared to other influencers, invites followers to open their eyes to greater awareness in the social and human sphere. On social media you will only see a part of the world of her. Actually, after reaching 250k on TikTok and about 100k on Instagram, she made her debut as an actress in the series Pesci Piccoli (Small Fishes) produced by The Jackal and Mad Entertainment. Sara Penelope Robin is currently working on film and television projects. But that is not all.
More plans are going on and you can find out the news by following her social media channels.
How do you describe the environment in which you grew up?
S.P.R.: ”I spent my childhood and adolescence in the Neapolitan hinterland, a place where on the one hand it is difficult to live, on the other hand you are forged and accustomed to a harsh reality. Know something that few people in the world know.”
What does Naples represent for you?
S.P.R.: ”Cross and delight. Naples is sweet in the mouth and bitter in the bowels.”
Do you define yourself as an artist or an influencer?
S.P.R.: ”One Person, but also three. We are Sara, my mind; Penelope, my Soul (psyche) and Robin/Xavier, my spirit, my conscience. Everyone knows my male side, Xavier, but Penelope doesn’t ke calling him like that. So she nicknamed him Robin, like Batman’s sidekick.”
Who is Sarah as a woman and Sarah as a character?
S.P.R.: ”First of all, as Massimo Troisi would say, my name is Sara, without the “h”. It is Sara Genevieve, to be precise, my real full name, a sort of identity card. I don’t know how to describe myself, I’m a woman trying to fulfill her mission on planet earth. I do it as a woman and I try to do it as an influencer, I believe there is no distinction between me and my public figure, simply in private life there are many more interesting details to know for a narrow niche.”
How do you remember the past, how do you live in the present and how do you see the future?
S.P.R.: ”My past is horrible, but also full of otherworldly inspirations. A sweet mystical intuition accompanied me and I made him my best friend. The present is already much better, with the difficulties of the case due to my anarchist choices, very useful, right, but not very convenient. The future is bright, I foresee a joyous Apocalypse. At least for me and for all those who play on the right team, the good ones. For the bad guys, however, the truth is not so pleasant. In general, all joking aside, confronting the truth can be very difficult.”
Do you create personal or promotional content for your followers?
S.P.R.: ”Both. When you become an “influencer” you are an advertising channel. It is our job and perhaps it should also be protected and better understood, because after all, beyond the numbers and earnings, it almost seems that doing this job means earning effortlessly and almost dishonestly. Instead, many things are sacrificed and there is a lot to work to achieve even economic and work stability. The fairy tale of followers who automatically make you rich is not reality. You have to be capable and enterprising to make it a real decent job. I choose the products to advertise, that’s for sure. But most of my content is not advertisement.”
How do you interpret class and femininity?
S.P.R.: ”Femininity is something that everyone is looking for, but we haven’t discovered yet.I like women of the past and I am inspired by them: Monica Vitti, Anna Magnani, Coco Chanel; but I also have contemporary fixations, even if today it is difficult to identify that humanity that makes you a divine being by remaining with your feet, barefoot, on the earth.”
Beyond what a woman wears, what do you think she must never lack to be a woman?
S.P.R.: ”Motherhood.”
Napoli football team won its third Scudetto after thirty-three years. Even non-fans took to the streets to celebrate. How do you explain this excitement? Did you celebrate?
S.P.R.: ”I celebrated because I like to share moments of celebration with others; at the same time I think it was just a shot of serotonin, already gone.”
What is your dream?
S.P.R.: ”I would like to meet God in person. But first I would like to make a movie.”
