Teens all around the world are constantly looking to social media for the trending thing. It may be a new makeup product, a new fashion item or even an older style coming back. Even though social media does have benefits, it can cause teens to mentally decline.
I personally have found that I compare myself to the people I see on social media. Even though an influencer may have been trying to help the viewers out, I end up comparing myself to them. I would look and see that their lifestyle was much more fun and eventful than mine.
I recently downloaded this app called Lemon8. At first I loved this app. It was like Instagram, but really only for girls and gave tips on living in a girl’s world. However, as I continued to use this app, I caught myself wanting to be those girls. I would see post of girls who lived at the beach or girls who had a perfect style. I found myself dreaming over their picture perfect life, and I wanted it to be mine.
I constantly asked myself questions like, why can’t I look like that? Or how come they have all that money?. I always wanted to be someone else and live someone else’s life.
I would scroll on apps and see girls who were beautiful. I wanted to look and act like them. I would watch all of their posts and feel disgusted by the way my life is set up and would want to be them because I thought their life was perfect.
Other apps including TikTok and Instagram made me want to buy stuff that really had no purpose. I would order things and then when I got it, I realized that it didn’t look as “aesthetic” as it did on social media. I became obsessed with having an Instagram perfect life, but what I didn’t realize was that people’s lives aren’t actually what they post on social media.
Everyone has issues and no one has an Instagram perfect life. We just don’t see the personal things that happen in their lives. Yes, it is fun to have all the trending things, but it is just a trend. At some point that trend won’t be “cool” anymore and the stuff that we all bought will have no use.
No one should to try to live up to any beauty standards set by social media. It doesn’t matter what clothes I wear, what my room looks like or even what type of makeup I use because eventually that trend will be out.
There will always be something better than what I have. So instead of comparing myself to social media’s standards, I’m going to be grateful for who I am and what I have. Although, no matter how hard I try social media will always try to influence me into buying the trendy thing, but instead of sulking and being sad that I may not look or dress as good as other girls, I am going to be happy with what I have.