Hello, Strangers!
Texted by Uracha Chaiyapinunt
Chances are you already follow @werenotreallystrangersonsocialmedia—or if not, you’ve seen a different account repost their content before. Founded by Koreen Odine, a Los Angeles-based model and artist, We’re Not Really Strangers (WNRS) was born out of the intention to build connections between people. Odine does this through sharing quotes that shed light on raw human feelings—heartbreak, loneliness, self-doubt, self-love—in her account. Her content clearly resonates with a lot of people; in March 2021, the Instagram account reached 3.5 million Instagram followers.
To take her project a step further, Odine also launched a purpose-driven card game of the same name that became wildly popular during quarantine last year: Hollywood actress Zendaya mentioned it in an interview with GQ and Italian fashion house Valentino partnered with WNRS to create their own customized deck. Soon, the WNRS red cards started appearing across social media channels everywhere.
Similar to the account, the WNRS game is designed to encourage players to dig deep into their existing relationships and create new one. The cards come in a red box with a set of instructions and three separate decks: Perception, Connection and Reflection. Each level features carefully crafted questions that make players confront their fears and subconsciousness. The game then comes to an end with players writing a letter to each other to be opened once they’re not together anymore (Odine features some good ones submitted by her followers on Instagram).
It’s not hard to understand why accounts and games like WNRS have taken off. Aside from the content’s aesthetics and relatability factor, it’s a reminder that everyone is going through their own challenges and that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
This article appears in Spring 2021 issue of Chanintr Living Download full issue
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