Social media is something that has taken the world by storm. Originally, it was used to keep up with friends, but now it’s used to keep up with the Kardashians. Everyone uses it, and if you aren’t posting, you’re browsing and looking at photos and posts made by others.
The majority of people have Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and sometimes even more social media accounts that are also being used religiously. However, few seem to realize the big issue that is caused by this: people are comparing themselves to what they are seeing on friends’ and celebrities’ accounts. It would appear that some people even obsess over what others are posting.
It’s become a pandemic where people post candid shots all the time, but never post shots that reveal what their life is truly like. Yet, we compare ourselves to the façade that we see on the social media accounts of others.
Why do we post and compare ourselves to others?
It is crucial to think about posting this way: some people post to share memories and good times, while others post to get likes and feel special and still others post to flaunt.
No one ever posts the bad stuff in life. Everyone wants to be seen as perfect, desirable and attractive, and give the appearance that bad things don’t happen in their life. Yet, we still compare ourselves to these posts and feel bad about ourselves in the end. How does that make sense? It doesn’t.
We need to stop comparing ourselves to these posts, be grateful for what we have in life and see our value. Many people feel like their value is diminished because it does not resemble the lives of others, but that is not the case.
Looks are all that matter on social media
Comparing how you look to other people on social media is a dangerous game to play, especially when you compare yourself to celebrities. A good thing to remember is that the majority of the time, celebrities’ images are photoshopped or they have professionals doing their hair and makeup.
People are already filled insecurities due to media, but once you start comparing yourself to what you see, you’re going to start seeing a lot more ‘flaws’ in yourself because you’ll be comparing yourself to others. Even if you are looking at your friend’s latest bikini pic, you shouldn’t compare yourself because all you’re doing is harming yourself mentally by creating new insecurities that you shouldn’t have.
Essena O’Neill: The smartest woman on social media
This is a gorgeous lady who showed the truth regarding social media. She was an Instagram model who was extremely successful, but decided to reveal what went on behind the curtain when it came to the world of being an Instagram model. She wanted to expose the pressure, and reality behind all her photos, so she changed all her captions on her candid photos to say what really happened.
Some of the captions were about how she got someone to take 100s of photos of her sitting at the beach because she wanted to make sure her stomach and everything looked perfect. Other captions told the story about how she did not eat during the shoot to make sure she looked perfect, or how she got paid to show her body in a sexual manner for advertising.
She revealed that she should not be looked up to by other women because she looked fit and was sexy and beautiful; in fact, she claims to have won the genetic lottery and hates how all people cared about was the fake story behind the photos and how she was popular because she was sexy and gorgeous in her photos.
She grew tired of being idolized by countless women who wanted to look like her, wear the same clothes she was paid to wear and who thought her life was so glamorous. She was done with living a life that was a lie—a life where she never got to enjoy the beach, but just had to sit there and look sexy.
What Essena O’Neill did was brave, and was also a big step for women because she decided she did not want to be liked because of her looks, she did not want to be miserable, and she did not want to be seen as a sexual object. She revealed the reality of what happens behind every photo that you compare yourself to.
Don’t compare yourself to the images posted on social media, and you most certainly should not compare your life to what others post—no one posts the bad, only the good, and it is not worth the time and energy spent comparing yourself to these photos. Enjoy your life; don’t compare yours to the lives that others claim to have. Feel free to share your thoughts below!
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