This weekend I am going on a girl’s trip… What relevance does this have to you as readers some of you may ask? So, with the girl’s trip in mind, comes outfit planning and I know when I say this, I am not the only one, I take straight to Instagram and Tik-Tok for inspiration. This week I have been way too over consumed in these platforms, I can confidently say it has been unhealthy and not to mention damaging. As a writer for Her Campus, you know I like to share these experiences with you, not all of it is fact and I am most definitely not an expert, which is important for you to know and understand. Whilst being obsessed with what Madison Sarah wore last weekend, and what Cinzia has on her insta it inspired this week’s article surrounding the recent rocket in influencers.
I am all for sharing journeys, wisdom, advice, outfit choices and gym workouts online but has it reached a point that it does more damage than good? A lot of these female influencers stand as powerful woman online and preach solidarity however it appears to me that it is largely having the opposite effect. I have mentioned this before that social media is a place where people choose what they show you, I choose what I show to my followers. Young people sit behind these screens and become blind sighted by what seems to be the perfect life where bad days don’t exist. We rarely get to see when Molly Mae can’t fit into a size 10, or the day where her forehead somehow becomes spot galore, so when It happens to us we view ourselves are less beautiful or spend ridiculous money on a skin product that she posts as a ‘must have’ but she isn’t a dermatologist after all.
I don’t want this to come across as a rant or bashing the recent influencer profession, I just want to wake some of my readers up from this influenced daze that we all keep finding ourselves in.
This week I am extremely bloated, and my favourite jeans didn’t fit! Instead of embracing that my body changes like all of ours do and that it is natural I cried and called myself fat (not a proud moment) but when my Instagram is full of size 6 influencers that eat the most perfect smoothie bowl for breakfast it was bound to happen.
I really try to be very open and raw with my readers because I don’t want to create an image that I am not human and that I am a health expert when I’m not. This also isn’t me telling you to immediately unfollow the likes of Molly Mae right now, but rather approach with caution and select what fills your feed. Fill your feed with influencers if you wish but select carefully, choose influencers that perhaps reflect your style or your body image. Look for accounts that show you the good and bad days, trust me they are out there. Don’t put yourself in a box with unrealistic beauty standards that are harmful to your vibe and your health. If you are into this practice, manifest when you feel slightly overwhelmed ‘yes she is beautiful, I love her outfit, so am I’.
Safety online is the safety of your wellbeing too!