We live in a world where social media is everything. We document what food we eat, what clothes we where, who we love and where we go as if the only way we can feel good about ourselves is if we recieve validation from someone else. We yearn for the “likes” on Instagram and Facebook and Twitter because somehow it makes us feel like we’ve accomplished something but the sad truth is we have not.
I’m ashamed to admit that up until today I spent countless hours on Instagram looking at fitness pages, skinny girls, clothes and make up. The thought “damn I wish I looked like that” crossed my mind probably a thousand times. I’m in my mid twenties now and although I have my insecurities I know that I’m not going to starve myself or go broke trying to look like the insta famous girls on social media, but what about the man, woman or child who will?
When I was thirteen I hated how I looked but I was lucky because 12 years ago social media wasn’t a thing. Yes there were magazines that were photoshopped that we all crooned over but we didn’t have the monster of social media lurking in our room. Now, young generations have Instagram, Facebook and all sorts of other platforms to make them feel insecure, to make them feel that validation only comes in the form of social media likes.
This needs to stop. We need to create change. We need to teach our children that the things they see on social media are not real. We need to talk about the definition of contrived and fake. We need to be more reactive to how social media is shaping our lives.
This post was inspired by the lovely and inspirational Essena Oneill. She was an insta famous entrepeneur and now she’s spreading the word about the social media lie. Check out her Instagram page for more details
Wandering soul 