Across all social media platforms, but especially on YouTube and Instagram, there is a large presence of seemingly perfect beauty and lifestyle gurus living flawless lives.
Our generation and the generations after us have grown up watching these people live their Instagramable lives with their perfect skin, perfect bodies and perfect feeds.
They boast about their healthy and glamorous lifestyles, but more often than not, their lives are fake and suited to perform well on social media.
Although comparison is a part of human nature, social media has now made it one of the most detrimental things to one’s confidence.
In seconds, you have access to millions of others living breath-taking lives, and it feels almost impossible to not compare your life to theirs.
Specifically, beauty and lifestyle gurus promote this unattainable lifestyle.
These gurus curate their feed and color code their lives to perfection and it leaves viewers scrolling for hours, wishing they could live a life like that, too.
One of the most common types of posts these gurus make are posts about traveling.
Whether they are laying by the water in Greece or frolicking their way through Italian cafes, these girls make it look like they live a life we all want but can’t have.
Most of us don’t have the time, resources or money to be traveling around the world all the time.
What you have to remember is that social media, mostly, is fake.
Sure, these people are actually in these places, wearing these adorable outfits, but that’s only a fraction of that experience that they are choosing to share with you.
There are so many potential issues that can arise while traveling.
Missed flights, getting lost, being on a grueling plane ride for hours on end, the list goes on.
These gurus don’t post the mistakes or unfortunate events, they only showcase the highlights.
All across YouTube, you can see aesthetic, and let’s not forget expensive, nighttime routines, Coachella vlogs, or what I eat in a day videos.
Although these videos can be an easy and potentially inspirational watch for some, it can be the center of negative comparison for others.
For me, when I watch a lifestyle guru rave about the kale salad she had for lunch, it makes me feel guilty about myself for having fast food or for not eating as well as I should.
Unfortunately, I get sad and frustrated that brands send these girls on trips for free, or they’re getting to live this seemingly perfect life. I know I’m not alone in feeling this way.
People like me have to remember that we’re all human.
We all have our bad days and sour moods. We also all have our fun times and great memories.
It’s hard not to get caught up in the world of social media posts that almost seem like they were posted just to brag, but it can be done.
If you feel yourself slipping into a negative mindset after seeing a beauty guru post about all her makeup and her perfect skin, just take a step back and realize that she has her own insecurities too that she isn’t telling you about.
Remember that through their travels they have mess ups, and they most likely aren’t having as nearly much fun as they are making it seem.
This may sound negative or that I am bashing on these girls, but in reality, it’s hard to be a young girl in today’s society when pictures and videos of girls with their amazing bodies are constantly pushed your way.
Everyone has their own journey in life, and you should never compare yourself to others.
If you truly desire what these girls have, let their actions inspire you to make choices to get to that point, not deter you from gaining self-confidence.