Models in hardly any clothing are plastered all over every major city billboard in America. Tiny waists, big boobs, perfectly sculpted legs, luxurious and voluminous hair, and porcelain skin seem to stare at us in every magazine we read, every store we enter, and every movie we view. America has done a wonderful job at showing the world what “perfect” looks like.
We’re only human, and it’s natural to see these women that society has dubbed “flawless” or “ideal” and compare ourselves to them. We tear ourselves apart thinking that we are worth less than the angelic models, and that we need to alter our appearances to be worthy of attention and love.
Social media does nothing to help diminish this feeling of worthlessness or appraisal. The majority of photos I see on Instagram are of girls dressed in beautiful outfits, turned at just the right angle with the perfect amount of lighting. These “tricks” to achieve the perfect selfie can be found on many websites including Buzzfeed and Seventeen. How many videos have we seen while scrolling through Facebook titled “How to take the perfect selfie,” brought to us by stick thin and perfectly symmetrical models? And the “tips” they regurgitate are all the same: angle your face this way, look for the best lighting, have a clean background, slightly part your lips and squint your eyes. The worst part about these videos is that they suck us in, leaving us hoping to take pictures that halfway resemble the models we are taught to worship. Why is our world so obsessed with their social media self? Why do we work so hard to keep up an online persona of perfection?
Online, we can be whoever we want to be. We can look a certain way through editing apps and make ourselves seem like we live the life of luxury through photos of traveling and partying. And let’s be honest, who wants to share a photo of their homework or the pile of dishes they have to do when they get home? No, social media is meant for us to showcase the adventures we go on and the nights we go out. There is nothing wrong with only sharing pieces of your life where you’re having fun. Instagram is made to be able to pick and choose which pieces of your life you want to share with the world. The problem lies within you forgetting to stop living and are only after the perfect snapshot.
How many times have you been to a party and, before you start mingling, take about 10 different pictures with your friends until you look the most candid and like you’re having a ton of fun? It is important to realize that the majority of the pictures we see in our day-to-day lives are fake. The scene isn’t real, the body is edited, and the smile is forced. No one is actually having fun in these staged photos; they’re working hard to create the ideal image that will receive the most likes. All the fun that should be had is gone in an effort to have their life perceived as perfect. The problem with our generation is that most of the time, the pictures that are being shared aren’t of a happy person at all. Some people have to put on the perfect outfit, curl their hair to Victoria’s Secret model volume, line their lips identical to a Kardashian, and angle their torso just right to make their waist non-existent. Taking time out of your day to achieve this perfection must be exhausting.
By no means is this article telling you to stop sharing flattering photos with the world when you’re “feeling yourself.” This is simply telling you to stop trying to achieve perfection. Having a separate personality online isn’t worth the time and effort it takes, and more likely than not, the pictures don’t make you happy. Monitoring the number of likes your picture receives shouldn’t validate your worth. You should feel comfortable being yourself no matter how many followers or likes your photos receive. So go share that makeup-less selfie while you’re laughing at a joke. Share a million photos of you dog or cat. Social Media is meant to be an extension of who you are; make sure you’re sharing the real you.
I highly reccomend looking up former Instagram model Essena O’Neill. She perfectly captures the unrealistic standards we put on ourselves regarding social media, and has edited her old Instagram photos sharing that they aren’t candid, and she wasn’t happy while taking them.