Recently, Molly-Mae Hague announced she had been appointed as the new creative director for Pretty Little Thing. It is a massive achievement for someone her age and I truly hope she can do some good to pay workers fairly and move into a more sustainable approach to fashion. As the dust settled, Hague decided to buy herself a £37K Cartier bracelet as a pat on the back.
I, myself am partial to purchasing nice things to congratulate myself for a job well done. However, the sheer amount of money it cost was crazy to me. Even though I am happy for Molly-Mae, I couldn’t help but feel slightly inadequate given we are the same age. Whilst Molly-Mae is holding a skyscraper high position in a fashion giant, I am entering into another year of university, struggling to find any job that will even give me an interview and thinking that buying myself halloumi is a bougee purchase. Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy with my life at the moment. I have food on the table, good friends, and a much better level of mental health than I have had in a while. But watching people smash goals you could never even dream of does kick you in the stomach a little.
It got me thinking about how we are all on completely different paths in life and that is fine. I let myself wallow in the self-pity of not being a millionaire for a minute and then shake myself awake to give a reminder that being a millionaire and buying a Cartier bracelet has never been in my goals or dreams. Yes, Hague and I are the same age, but she was catapulted to fame through Love Island. She is also a massive influencer and has been for years, grafting at securing promo deals and sponsorships – a path I have never and likely will never want. Therefore, I don’t need to feel insecure or beat myself up because I am not her.
It’s been said a million times before, but the world of social media does make it so that you are constantly comparing yourself to others. This is something I have worked on for a while and thought I had gotten through, but it just shows that even subconsciously you can compare yourself to other people and make yourself feel like a failure. We are not. We are all on different paths and will achieve different goals at different times and that is exactly what is supposed to happen. Not having a Cartier bracelet at 22 – or any age – does not make any of us failures!