Introducing The Next Generation Of Leaders And Thinkers

The Truth Behind the Picture

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When I see a gorgeous picture of someone on Instagram, Twitter, or really anywhere on social media I might stop to think “wow they’re so perfect” or “I wish I had their clothes” and even sometimes “If I looked like them I would be happy”. I am being completely honest and I can say that I have thought every one of those things, whether it be on someone’s selfie on Instagram or a video of them at the beach on Twitter. When looking at these people’s accounts on Instagram or Twitter, I mentally start to imagine what their life is like, simply based on their pictures. I begin to think, “their pictures are so amazing, beautiful, stunning, so every aspect of their life must be.” This is completely and utterly not true, what’s so ever, at all.

I can sometimes be quick assume people have these “perfect” lives based on their social media, but then there is always a part of me that starts to wonder, is their social media really their whole life? No, it isn’t. I can only speak for myself, but I only put out on social media what I want other people to see, I mean I’m not going to post an ugly selfie of myself on Instagram, or a picture of me crying my eyes out because I just got in a huge fight with my parents. I have no idea what people are going through in life whether it be very serious, or something that they will quickly get over, but everyone goes through things that shape them into the different types of people that they are today. Its very easy for me to get lost in the fantasy of the flawless Instagram girl with an incredible life, but she is just a person; and a person has feelings, emotions, and sometimes problems.

It is easy to predicate in my head what that person’s life is like based on their social media, but I honestly have absolutely no idea. Wow they go to the mall with their friends and they have an awesome outfit on, they must have their whole life together and have everything figured out!! No!! Sometimes I really have to check myself because, I do not know this and I shouldn’t ever assume things about people!! I think all people need to stop judging, assuming, and thinking things about people based on their social media because that’s not who they really are, that is just one side of them.

When, I’m scrolling through my instagram feed and see a, in my mind, “flawless” photo of someone whether it be a celebrity or just a person I know, I think I unconsciously start to wish things about myself. Like for example, some thoughts from my head could be, “Wow, I wish I could contour my face.” Or even  “I wish I was as pretty as her.” “I wish I had her outfit.” I get lost in wishing I could change things about myself.  I think that if I looked like her, or had her outfit I would be happier. This really hurts my self confidence and brings me down in a lot of ways.

Teenagers spend so much time worrying about how they look in a picture or worrying about how many likes they are going to get, and that can totally take over their lives and cause them so much anxiety. I think the media has shown a lot of people, who are totally stunning and for the most part pretty cool people don’t get me wrong, but that a lot of kids don’t just admire they aspire to be them. Of course everyone wants to be like that one beautiful model, but we aren’t that person. I will never be that person, the only person I can be is me.

I think the only way to ever truly be happy is to love who you are.

The only person I can be is me, so what is wishing I was like someone else doing for me. Is tearing myself down because I’m not someone else helping me or hurting me? I feel like I have wrapped myself up in a fantasy of what our and other people’s lives are, based on our social media accounts. The truth is, social media does not reflect people’s lives as a whole, or determine what kind of a person someone is.

I think it’s fun to post an awesome picture of you and your friends, or a beautiful selfie, or a quote, or anything that makes you happy to post on your social media. I do think that it’s wrong and unhealthy when I get too involved and concerned about what everyone else is doing on their social media. When you are hanging out with a group of your friends and everyone is just on their phones, that’s really not good. I think its time to look up and enjoy where you are and the people you’re with because we can’t live our lives through a screen, and why would we ever want to do that.

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