As I scroll down my Instagram feed, Facebook timeline, and update myself on all of my favorite blogs, I’ve come to find my usual feeling of inspiration replaced with one of dissatisfaction about my own life. Scrolling through instagram has become like leafing through the pages of an expensive catalog, wanting everything, wishing your life was as beautiful as pictured, feeling mildly (ok or very) jealous. (Hey, I know you know the feeling!) Thumbing through endless perfection in small square photographs, one, twice, three times daily (Okay, I’ll admit it, I’m an instaholic) makes me strive in every way possible to attain this same “perfection,” and, when I cannot, I feel kind of yucky about all the less-than-perfect parts of my life.
I forget, though, what goes on before we hit the share button on Instagram, Facebook, etc…
Maybe I’m the only one that does this, (though I doubt that I am), but think about the amount of time we spend moving all the ugly stuff out of the camera’s view, arranging our plates at lunch, opening and adjusting the blinds for the perfect light, snapping from all angles, then, upon choosing the perfect photo… sending it through app upon app, adjusting temperature, saturation, sharpening, etc…
It sounds kind of sad when I say it out loud.
It sounds kind of sad when I say it out loud.
How, after we’ve manipulated a single moment to the point of perfection for the sake of a post, are we expected to live our daily lives this way?
Now, I am in no way bashing social media or editing in any way, but attempting to point out it’s flaws. Social media isn’t real life. I’ll say it again: social media is not real life. No one’s life actually looks the way it does on their Instagram. Mine sure doesn’t. We pick out the prettiest moments, edit them up real nice and post them for all of our friends to see! And isn’t it fun? I love this about my Instagram. It’s all the nice stuff! No where on my insta are you going to see my dirty laundry, I'll-just-spark-note-it reading or yesterday’s makeup (that I woke up in today…). That’s not how it works! When we’re posting, we’re posing, and that is OKAY. It’s fun to play pretend every once in a while, but we have to remember what’s behind the filters.
No one’s life is perfect, we cannot try to live our live in the shadow of someone else’s facade. So pose for the camera and let the spotlight hit you where it will, in carefully planned, beautifully captured moments, but never forget to live all your moments loud and bright, your messiest and your most insta-worthy, ‘cause in the end your own like is the only one that matters ;)
btw— check out #uneditedlifeproject for a sweet and sincere campaign against hiding the messy behind an insta filter… I love seeing everyone’s beautifully unedited moments.
Stay lovely, xoxo
Genevieve
