The inspiration behind the popular ‘Cuse Affirmations’ Instagram account
Courtesy of Chelsea Taxter
Chelsea Taxter runs Cuse Affirmations, an account she started in April after being inspired by a similar account for George Washington University.
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Chelsea Taxter’s Instagram account Cuse Affirmations has gained over 1,000 followers since its creation in April, something that surprised her considering she created the page as a joke.
“I made it just for fun expecting to get like 200 followers at most and it just kind of blew up,” the Syracuse University junior said.
The account features affirmations, or written statements that manifest something to be true. These affirmations are specific to experiences SU students have had on campus or parody experiences they may face.
“Finding a seat in Ernie does NOT intimidate me,” one post reads.
“I will NOT spend $100 in trader joe’s,” says another.
Taxter created the account after seeing one of her friends at George Washington University repost an Instagram story from their school’s affirmation account. She recalled looking to see if SU had a similar account and once she found that there wasn’t one, Taxter decided to create one.
Taxter finds inspiration for the posts through experiences she has had at SU, modeling the account after the GWU version and, if she’s having trouble coming up with content, asking followers to submit ideas. She creates the affirmation posts with PicsArt, a photo- and video-editing application.
When the account started gaining popularity, David Bruen and Darnelle Stinfort, who were running for president and vice president of Student Association, respectively, at the time reached out to Taxter. The two candidates wanted to use the account to promote their campaign, which Taxter agreed to without hesitation.
“Whether it’s working with a meme page or even a campus org’s social media, it’s just really important to reach out to them because they are connected to so many students,” said Bruen, the president-elect of SA. “And if you’re telling them to vote in an election or to teach them about an issue in the campus community or advocating for something that needs to change it’s a great way to share that message.”
The post Taxter created for the candidates read, “I will vote for david-darnelle in the SA elections.” The posts received great feedback from supporters, Bruen said.
Though she runs the account single-handedly, Taxter doesn’t show her identity on it because she doesn’t want people to think she is trying to get attention by posting about herself. Since her friends know that she runs the account, SU students could figure it out who ran the account if they asked the right people, Taxter said.
Memes on Twitter and Instagram are responsible for shaping her personality and sense of humor, Taxter said. She’s been on Twitter since seventh grade and has watched Instagram become a new “hotspot” for memes.
SU freshman Phalen Salvador said that the account creates a feeling of camaraderie among SU students, as it highlights relatable everyday experiences that most students share.
“It’s weirdly super accurate for very niche situations, which I think is really cool because a lot of accounts and stuff can be super vague in general with memes, but it’s kind of fun seeing ones you can relate to,” Salvador said.
Taxter spent the spring semester at home in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, and the account helped her stay connected with the campus community while she was remote. She doesn’t see a need to keep the account active over summer break, but she is considering reviving it in the fall.
“I think it’s like a good laugh that everyone is getting out of it,” Taxter said. “I wasn’t trying to post any super serious posts related to Syracuse, just funny universal things about the school, and I’m just hoping people find it funny.”
Published on May 9, 2021 at 9:57 pm
Contact Sydney: sabergan@syr.edu
