Enfnts Terribles

This year has been an important year for Christina De Witte. The 24-year-old creative, who’s known for her hilarious alter-ego Chrostin, used the lockdown to rethink and change her perspective on life and our society. Christina isn’t just another influencer trying to gain thousands of likes but instead uses her platform to address important topics. We talked to her about feminism, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the fine line between being critical and funny.

You’re close to 100k followers on Instagram. Do you see that as affirmation or is it extra pressure?

I’ve never thought about that. It’s not that I want to come across as if I’m super humble, but it’s just because I really do not care. There were definitely moments in the past where it was really important to me because I wanted to prove myself, but now it can be stolen from me, and I wouldn’t care.

Corona really made me realize what’s important and whatnot. My family, friends, and partner are the most important things in my life, and I do live for moments like this, but I’m absolutely not active on social media. If I post one comic a month, that would already be a lot. I’m very contrary to everything Instagram stands for. They want you to post as much as possible because that lets people stay longer on the app. Even if I only post a comic every three months, I notice that people stay because people understand that I’m a human being.

Your comics are funny but critical as well. How do you try to find a balance between humor and criticism because you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings but you want to bring across your point?

That’s a great nuance because that’s the difference between a political cartoon, which is very socially critical with a layer of humor, and what I do. I think it’s reversed with me. I always start from a positive point of view, humor, or something that happened to me, and then I think about how I’m going to portray that.

There’s one rule that’s super important to me: always end with a positive note. I don’t want to insult or target anybody, even when I don’t agree with their vision. I would never call them out, but I’m still a human being with an opinion, and there are certain things I simply disagree with. However, being silent is picking the side of the oppressor, so I’m not going to do that either way. It’s indeed difficult to find the right balance, but I think I’m doing pretty well.

In 2018, you published your book The Ultimate Survival Guide to Being a Girl, where you answer some life questions. Was the writing process of that book confrontational for you?

The book is quite special because I didn’t make it consciously. I was only nineteen or twenty, so writing a book that should help teenagers is very ambitious and somehow a bit arrogant. But I learned a lot from that process and mostly felt that it’s not my favorite thing to do. I did it, the book took a lot of my time but that’s it. When I look back, I see so many things I’d change, and that’s not only because I’m very critical of myself, but because it could be better.

On the other hand, I have to screw back a bit and recognize that I was very young. Five years later, I see that I can do better, and I do it better. The process itself wasn’t very confrontational because I was still in puberty and was questioning who I was. Now, I know that I’m ready for the next chapter of my book, and I’d love to work on a graphic novel. This time, I would center it around my personal experiences and translate them into a visual story. Ironically, I’m not really a reader myself …

How far are you in the process of creating your first graphic novel?

Normally, I should have been in Thailand right now to do some research and capture the scenery of my story. My boyfriend is a photographer, and he’d take pictures, so I could create a realistic image of the environment where the story takes place. I’m still figuring out the plot and hope to work on it soon.

Generation Z is very impulsive and ready for revolution. Do you recognize yourself as someone in her early twenties in this new generation?

I’m born in 1996, so technically I’m part of Generation Z. I do feel that I’m slightly part of the millennial generation, although I don’t want to associate myself with them. Millennials are fucking boring, for some reason: all love Harry Potter, throw corona-parties, and eat avocado on a daily. They love normie memes instead of edgy memes, and I can’t live with that. (laughs)

I think Gen Z-culture is amazing and has everything an average boomer is afraid of. I just love to kick boomers in the shins because it’s so funny. For example, ‘Karen’ or ‘OK boomer’ triggers people, and I live for that. It doesn’t matter what you do or say, your presence is — for them — already a threat to their existence. I do identify myself more like someone from Generation Z, but I swing between Gen Z and the Millennials.

You’ve described yourself as a feminist in the past. What is the definition of a feminist for you?

Feminism has to be intersexual. You can’t call yourself a feminist and make a choice who you want to support. White feminism is something that occurs mostly in America and means that white women deserve more power, money, … but that’s only in favor of a white woman and keeps the vicious circle turning.

Feminism, pur sang, is the equality between women and men. That’s the most basic definition. But if you don’t defend the rights of trans women, poor women, disabled women, sick women, …, you’re not getting it. Feminism rights are human rights. When someone asks me if I see myself as a feminist, I always tell them that I don’t see myself as a feminist because I am one.

I don’t understand why this word sounds so silly to many. It’s probably because some people misused the word or are very radical in their thoughts, but that’s not feminism for me. J.K. Rowling is not a feminist for me and even though she might inspire a big part of the word with her books, I haven’t read a single Harry Potter book in my life, she doesn’t have the right to make such wrong statements. She’s the textbook example of everything feminism isn’t. As long as your feminism isn’t intersexual … it’s just a no!