It’s the first week of February, and by now I’m sure there are more than a handful of you all that have broken your New Year’s resolutions. We’re all guilty of it. I’ve got a spring mix salad that’s gone unopened, sitting in my fridge, and my father has put off that new diet to every “next” Monday. But is this how we want our 2016 to go? Do we really want to start off with broken promises?
I think not.
So how about we rethink these normal New Year’s resolutions. Why don’t we think outside the box? We’ve had all the time in the world to “get in shape” or “eat healthier,” so why don’t we try something that will not necessarily alter us physically, but instead change the way we feel about ourselves inside.
This New Year, I challenge you to stop fixating on the celebrities you see and follow on social media and start focusing on yourself.
What exactly do I mean? Well, it’s simple.
In today’s social media society of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, it is so easy to follow the every move of celebrities. We know what they’re wearing, how they’re doing their makeup, what they’re eating and who they’re dating, and for some reason, we think we have to be exactly like them. All of sudden we have to have the same purse as Taylor Swift and we will die if we don’t learn how to put on makeup just like a Kardashian. Our lives somehow seem completely inadequate compared to the glitz and glamour that is their everyday world. But that’s just it–their world is not our world.
Celebrities have a whole slew of people whose job it is to make sure they look and act perfect. They have PR reps and management teams who focus on the hundreds of minute details we couldn’t possibly think of. They have stylists and makeup artists who ensure their wardrobe is flawless and not a hair is out of place. And they have photographers photoshopping their pictures to ensure that freckle isn’t seen and the cellulite remains hidden. It is only after all these people come together that we see the final product–a product that is not always representative of the everyday person. So why are we so obsessed with being just like them? Why do we try so hard to emulate their lives?
We shouldn’t be, and we don’t have to be.
It is my belief that our fixation has only led to self-deprecation and feelings of worthlessness because we don’t live up to the expectations that are put forth in the media. Somewhere out there, behind a computer screen or phone, is a 14-year-old girl who feels like she needs to alter her own body just to look “perfect.” She’ll go to school tomorrow and feel like she could never possibly live up to the standards our society has set out for her. And when her first boyfriend breaks up with her, she’ll remember that time he commented on that “bangin’ body” some celebrity had, and suddenly her life revolves around becoming just like them. And when she can’t, she’ll instead turn to others means to make the pain stop because inside it feels like her whole world is crashing down and no one could ever possibly love her if she doesn’t look like them.
That is what our society has come to. That is what we are teaching our youth by putting celebrities up on these pedestals.
So let’s stop. Starting today why don’t you turn off those twitter notifications and stop scrolling through instagram just to see what they’re doing. Forget about how tiny her waist looked or how hot her boyfriend is. Start thinking about yourself.
We spend so much time focusing on them that we forget about us. We forget that there is a world beyond that glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Our lives are moving forward and we are missing it.
If we just focused on ourselves for a change, maybe we could learn what makes us happy. Maybe we could learn to love ourselves and embrace every part of us. It’s not an easy job to do, but it’s a job worth trying.
Think about how much you could do with your life by cutting out all that negative energy. Think about the example you would be setting for your nieces, your cousins, and your daughters by teaching them that they don’t have to be anyone but themselves.
Think about it.