For a long, long time, I considered Twitter to be my favorite social media platform. I lived for tweets and did my best work there. However, over the past year, I truly think Instagram has usurped Twitter’s place in my heart. And the thing is, while I like looking at my friends’ photos and seeing what they’re up to, I really go on Insta to indulge my weird little obsessions. Recently, I’ve found myself following a few different types of accounts in bulk. I don’t know what they say about me, but I know that they’re what my feed is now primarily made up of.
I’ve listed these in approximate order of how many of these types of accounts I follow. Some of these trends have been going on for a while for me, but some of them are truly new loves.
8. Cake Stores
Examples: @scratchbakeshoproc, @flourshop
This trend is definitely my most recently following spree; ‘tis but a fle. The Popsugar Instagram is at fault for me following both of these. Flour Shop makes colorful and often unicorn shaped cakes that have an explosion of sprinkles and candy in the middle. And, I’m definitely going to model my wedding cakes after Scratch Bake Shop’s crescent-shaped floral designs. Though I will say, following these accounts does make me constantly crave frosting, which is not an obsession I want to develop.
7. Dancers/Dance Brands
Examples: @avagordy, @emmaportner, @joandjax
I’m a dance minor at Kenyon and hope to go into something in the realm of choreography after graduation. But, even so, I consider myself to be much more of “maker” than a “doer.” As such, following really talented dancers helps me live vicariously through them. Ava and Emma are two specific dancers that I follow and Jo + Jax brand allows me to be exposed to a) really amazing dancers and b) super cute dance clothing. (Also, Emma Portner is Ellen Page’s wife and sometimes she posts really cute pics of them, so that’s just an added bonus.)
6. Edgy Women
Examples: @sn0ok, @atleeeey, @phoenix_hayley
In my life, I wear a little bit of makeup and indulge in some fun patterns in my wardrobe. I put some purple dye over my dark brown hair last September. I sometimes wear all black. However, I also like to indulge 7th-grade scene phase Mackenna by following some women with bright neon hair and wear glittery eyeshadow. Phoenix Hayley is definitely the like softcore end of this and Ash (aka @atleeeey) is the boldest version. And although I definitely admire their make up skills and how freaking cool their hair looks, I don’t follow them as a form of inspo, like I do with other women on insta, like @snitchery. I just really admire the aesthetic and they lend some color to my feed.
5. Ice Cream Stores
Examples: @baelittletokyo, @themoogelato, @stuffedicecreamnyc
I cannot STOP following ice cream places. It started just like the cake shops, on the PopSugar Instagram. And then I just kept finding more and more, and I can’t stop following. I even changed my Instagram bio to “in pursuit of the perfect cone of ice cream” in honor of my latest obsession. The sad thing is all of the ice cream shops I follow are either in Los Angeles or in New York City. But, one day, I will taste these sweet sweet cones (and the donuts at Bae Little Tokyo!!).
4. Vintage Women
Examples: @rachelfrancesx, @iddavanmunster, @kirstiemydear
Unlike the edgy women, I honestly think if I had enough money and time, I would try harder to emulate the aesthetic of some of these women. I look a lot like many of them (esp. Kirstie), and we have similar body types. This group is definitely another example of living vicariously through someone, like with the dancers above. Following these women also exposed me to some vintage-style clothing stores that I also now follow.
3. Cute Miscellaneous Animals
Examples: @juniperfoxx, @bodegacatsofinstagram, @mr.pokee
The vast majority of my feed is made up of all forms of furry (and non-furry) lil’ creatures. Some people show their friends memes; I shove pictures of adorable hedgehogs in their faces. In addition to a couple foxes, a couple hedgehogs, and quite a few cat Instagrams, I also follow a raccoon and a couple of pigs. There’s probably more than that, but that’s what directly comes to mind. And who doesn’t need their daily dose of cuteness?
2. Hair Stylists/Hair Color Brands
Examples: @mizzchoi, @artichairfoxcolor, @maneaddicts
I’ve been following the Manic Panic Instagram for a super long time, but lately, I’ve thought more seriously about actually getting my hair dyed professionally. (Not that I didn’t appreciate my do-it-yourself experience in the McBride bathroom, but if I wanna do something that involves bleach or a balayage, I do not trust myself.) So, I slowly started following more and more hair stylists, colorists, and other brands of dye. And now I have an unbelievable amount of inspo on my feed every day. I even found a colorist near me during one of my follow sprees!!
1. Dogs. All of the Dogs.
Examples: @navycorgi, @brucethelabrador, @magnusthedwarf
Okay, this is by far the biggest obsession I have on insta. If the majority of my feed is animals, the majority of those accounts are dedicated to big and little woofers. I follow a lot of corgis, a lot of french bulldogs, and then a full mix of other breeds. It isn’t a real day if I haven’t shoved a picture of a puppy in a friend’s face at dinner. And, by far, the best Instagram account is Dylan Sprouse’s dog’s account. He’s a mini English bulldog named Magnus and the account is the perfect mix of comedy and a squishy lil bulldog face. If you even need a dog account recommendation, hit me up.
Instagram is an incredible social media platform, even with their constant messing with the algorithm. It’s the perfect place to keep up with what your friends and people from high school are up to, whilst also indulging in your other interests. I never thought I would be someone who followed random cake shops in Rochester, NY or hair stylists from Indiana on Insta, but here we are. And I’m not ashamed. In fact, I’m proud.
Image Credit: Feature,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8