Is She Really That Perfect?
Yes. Maybe? I don’t know.
Understanding someone through their Instagram feed is tricky. While social media platforms provide glimpses into people's lives, the glimpses may be sculpted like The David. Perhaps, David was actually a little bit ugly. Perhaps, he had flaws that were carefully hidden by Michelangelo. I guess we will never know.
We have all heard over and over again that “INSTAGRAM IS NOT REALITY,” but it’s hard to resist forming opinions on someone based on what they choose to share online. Many curate their feed to render a certain image or aesthetic of themselves. Maybe they have a deep love for nature, so the earthy greens and shimmering blues of the great outdoors dominate their feed, with images of fern-walled redwood canyons, cows grazing on lush grass, and tropical sunsets kissing the horizon. Or maybe, they just want to be perceived as nature-loving wanderer, so the earthy greens and shimmering blues of the great outdoors dominate their feed, with images of fern-walled redwood canyons, cows grazing on lush grass, and tropical sunsets kissing the horizon.
How are we, as viewers, supposed to distinguish between what is genuinely reflective of someone's life and what is merely a sculpted, marble facade? To put it simply, most of the time, we can’t.
Carefully concocting a persona on social media is a skill as well as an art form, and Instagram provides the perfect canvas for such self-expression. But I am not here to blame these talented curators for making the rest of us jealous. Rather, we must recognize that the personas we see on Instagram are often influenced by societal pressures, insecurities, and the desire for validation or acceptance. Because of these, social-medians may feel compelled to present an idealized version of their lives, and so the cycle continues. I can’t say I haven’t fallen victim to this plague myself. It’s natural. But what is a girl to do?
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A girl is to scrutinize her own instagram feed over and over again until she’s memorized every pixel of each of her meticulously selected photos. A girl is to compare herself to the glossy perfection that she presents to the world until she feels small and insignificant. She is to stand in the mirror and list all of the ways she looked better a year ago, even though at the time, she hated how she looked.
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A year ago, in that body that you would kill for now, can you really say that you were happier than you are now? Maybe the answer is yes – and for that, I’m sorry that life isn’t currently going your way. But maybe the answer is no. Maybe your romanticization of a time that never was has hindered your ability to see beauty in the present moment. The brain is a complex entity which may trick you into believing that perfection is attainable. We may think that the curators we follow on social media, or perhaps even a past version of ourselves, have achieved true perfection.
But this perfection is an illusion. I think that deep down we all know that’s true. No matter how lively her Instagram may be, she’s like the rest of us, with her own unique issues. No matter how colorfully she may present herself online, she has trouble getting out of bed some mornings too. She cries when she doesn’t understand her math homework, and she gets awfully hangry around 4 in the afternoon.
So is she really that perfect? Well, yes, perfectly human. Insecurity and desires for perfection are not traits any of us strive for. They are not admirable. But when you step far enough back, they are perfect. Perfectly human. And in that way, she is beautiful. Just like those of us who wish we were more like her.
Strike Out,
St. Louis
Written by: Sadie Rosen
Edited by: Emily Bekesh