I call it the
Instagram syndrome. I hate to admit it, but I’ve been getting it a lot
lately. Instagram seems to have this power to glorify everything. Filters can
be used to hide a blemish while cropping the picture can be used to cut out the
aspects of the picture that aren’t picture perfect. As a result, you end up stalking
other people’s “perfect” Instagram accounts and becoming envious of their
“perfect” lives.
But in reality, your
Instagram account seems to leave out a picture of the 3 meltdowns you had in one
day due to the stress of schoolwork, a picture of the empty box of oreos you
ate after you found out about a failing grade, or a snap of you bawling to your
friends over a stupid boy. We only post pictures of the pretty things in life
(I am very guilty of this) and then make them look even prettier by using
filters and editing apps.
The important thing
is to realize that this is not reality. No one’s life is perfect and although
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter may make it seem that way; there is a lot of
behind the scenes pictures that were not posted for a reason. Everyone is
always so caught up in creating a persona on social media that we forget to
express our real feelings. It’s impossible to be “on” 24/7.
Last semester,
October was rough for me. My friend and I were both terribly homesick and we
would feed off one another. Looking back part of what contributed to my
homesickness was the need to constantly compare my college experience with all
of my friends. Everyone creates college Facebook albums and while I was sitting
in the library on the verge of tears, I would always seem to end up skimming
these albums and look at all the fun everyone else was having. I found myself
wishing I had gone to a bigger state school where I was closer to home or a
school where the academics may not have been as rigorous.
But after looking
back and skimming my college album, I realized I was just as guilty. You look
through my college album and it looks like activity after activity. I’ll be the
first to tell you that it’s a complete lie. Just like Instagram, its missing 90% of my college experience and only highlights the exciting/ fun events. It
leaves out the 7+ hours spent in the library or a picture of me sitting in a
classroom cramming for a midterm the next day.
For instance, this
was a picture that was left off of all social media, well because as you can
see, I was caught having a bit of a panic attack on a snow day. I had a ton of
work and everyone was outside playing in the snow, and as much as I wanted to
be with them I was stuck inside writing a paper. #gettingreal
It’s important to
realize the power social media has. It represents you and with all the photo
editing apps and now I realize that you can practically make every picture perfect.
But it’s okay to post a picture where
you might have a big blemish on your face, because that’s completely normal. So
in the words of the old Miley Cyrus,
“nobody’s perfect” so there is no reason to strive to make it appear that way.
Post your own photo
and tag me in it and hashtag it “#gettingreal” ! I’ll be posting mine today to
show everyone the real person behind the colorful instgram and blog. The girl
that has meltdowns on a weekly basis (sometimes in the middle of our hallway), the girl that constantly strives to be a
perfectionist, the girl that has major anxiety problems, the girl that has
frizzy hair and has bitten nails most of the time. Show everyone the real you, no filters needed!
Disclaimer: Looking
back on this post I was in a weird mood and stressed about schoolwork
(shocker!). However I truly do love love
love my school and everything it has
to offer. I have made life long friends here and I truly wouldn’t change one
thing about my college experience. I thought about not posting this, but I think
it still has an important message. It’s important to be real, and let others
see you be real! No one is bubbly all the time and as much as we would like to
portray a flawless image on Instagram or on twitter, that’s just not life. So be
careful next time you find yourself wishing you were someone else or somewhere
else because of a silly instgram account. I promise there’s a lot of behind the
scenes pictures that were not posted for a reason.
Always remember,
xoxo
Shan
Thank you so much for saying this. It's way too easy to be caught up comparing ourselves to others when in reality the way they portray themselves is completely different than what's true.
ReplyDeleteThank you thank you!
- Victoria
http://victorialnorris.blogspot.com
This post really shows just how strong of a person you are, Shannon. So inspiring. I can definitely relate to everything you said. I've been feeling overwhelmed and anxious lately and wrote this post after a particularly rough day!
ReplyDeleteSydney
Toodlebelle's Blog
Great post! We all need to take a step back and realize that social media does not portray all aspects of a persons life. We all have rough patches and struggles and no one is perfect!
ReplyDeleteEmily
www.stylishclassycreative.blogspot.com
I love this! I'm guilty of comparing my life to the loves of others through Instagram, too. I've started to notice how it can get in the way of my own happiness, so I'm trying to break that habit. This post is so true!
ReplyDeleteKristin
thedixiedaisy.blogspot.com
So true! Thank you for sharing and being honest.
ReplyDeleteEllen | A Pop of Pink
ellenborza.blogspot.com