Living in the age of social media can be hard sometimes. When you’re constantly surrounded by images of “perfect” people, it is hard to see yourself in a positive light. This is something I and many others have struggled with as part of Gen Z. Being confident isn’t always easy, but I have had many realizations about this dilemma that have helped me to be content with who I am and what I look like.
Don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with fitting into societal standards of beauty, but it is so important to spread the love and realize that everyone is different and beautiful in their own way regardless of whether or not they fit into that standard. Every single person on this earth is meant to be exactly who they are, and it’s time for everyone to come to terms with the fact that girls aren’t always going to look like the people you see on social media and in movies and TV.
A huge thing that stands out to me when I look on the internet is the number of people who enhance their photos using Facetune or Photoshop. There is no shame in wanting to look good on your Instagram, or on the cover of a magazine, or whatever it may be, but it is hard when your content is being shown to so many impressionable young people. It leads girls to believe that they aren’t worthy if they don’t look exactly like all the girls on their screens, and love themselves less.
When you take a step back and realize how amazing you are as a human being- that your body allows you to move and do wonderful things, and that your mind allows you to have goals and thoughts that can lead you to be amazing, you can understand that comparing ourselves to others is not productive and forces you to see yourself in a negative light. Every person is unique and everyone has insecurities, and life becomes so much better when you believe in who you are and stop letting social media define you.