We live in a digital age that is heavily dependent upon social media. That’s where we get our news, the information the news isn’t telling us, take fun quizzes to take our mind off of things, network, catch up with friends and get jealous.
Wait, what?
Yes, that’s right. While social media is great for many things, it can also serve as a very disappointing tool in our daily lives. It’s a glorified highlight reel we’re seeing rather than the whole picture. We see snippets and glimpses into “perfect” lives when really, we’re only seeing a fraction of the whole. Of course, this is difficult for most people to grasp, and instead they stew in their jealousy and let it affect them.
Thankfully, celebrities like Shay Mitchell are speaking out about the facade of social media. She wants everyone to take social media with a grain of salt and remember that it’s a platform, not the nooks and crannies of everyone’s lives.
“I think we all have to realize and recognize the fact that Instagram and social media in general is, a majority of the time, our highlight reel—it’s certainly my highlight reel. That’s not my everyday life,” Mitchell told InStyle. “Now, are those real life moments? Yes, absolutely. But are they heightened? Have those photos been taken 5,000 times to get the right angle? Do I have full makeup, lighting … ? One-hundred-percent.”
So, see? Even celebrities can admit that those shots generally aren’t natural and they take a lot of work. They’re also not the bun-on-top-of-my-head-in-my-pajames-hangry-AF shots that definitely happen. Mostly because no one wants photographic evidence of that, you know?
Remember when you get jealous next time that there are filters and face tuning, angles and lighting, good days and bad days. Everyone is complex and not everyone has it all together. We’re all in the same boat.