Rachel Abreu

Rachel Abreu is a PhD Researcher in the Department of Communications, Media, and Culture at the University of Stirling. Her research focuses on religious identity in ethnic minority women’s conceptualizations of beauty on Instagram, guided by a feminist framework. She is supervised by Dr. Greg Singh, Dr. Susan Berridge, and Dr. Victoria Esteves.

Education:

• MA(Hons) in English Literature from the University of St Andrews
• MSc in Media Management from the University of Stirling (2020 recipient of the Dee Amy Chinn Prize for gender research)

Research interests include colonialism’s impact on identity, intersections of gender/race/religion, and social media’s role in beauty articulations. Key themes: participatory cultures, visual media, intersectionality, and body image representation.

Award: Winner of the 2020 Dee Amy Chinn Prize for her Master’s dissertation on Instagram and beauty perceptions among ethnic minority women.

Presentations: Over a dozen conference contributions since 2022, including at the European Conference on Arts and Humanities (2024), Warwick Anti-Sexism Society (2024), and interdisciplinary research forums. Topics include digital identity negotiation, intersectional feminism, and methodological challenges in researching marginalized communities.