Kina Diaries: Social Media Woes (Patreon)

social media is a tricky thing. it can help us learn from each other, feel less alone, get inspired, be entertained, and a handful of other wonderful things, but more often than not (and perhaps i’m just speaking for my own unenlightened self) it leaves us feeling worse. i just lost 20 minutes clicking aimlessly, only to find myself on someone’s profile—whom i‘d never even heard of—browsing through her “life”, and comparing x, y, and z about my own life/body/success/you name it against hers.

there are so many levels here. for starters, i know that if i could just be a little more evolved of a person, just love myself a little more and care a little less about what everyone else thinks, this wouldn’t be an issue. i know envy is gross. so that’s on me, and it’s something i am aggressively and consistently working on.

but the other side of this is that what you see on social media is often not real life. and somehow knowing this STILL doesn’t cure us of feeling bad about ourselves.

it’s a dangerous cycle. i take in what the world tells me is “perfect”, which makes me feel i’m falling short, which makes me feel the need to play the game just to keep up—do my hair, put on makeup, select only the photos where i look my “best.” and now i’m part of that machine, curating a not-entirely-realistic version of myself to show to the world, and helping to perpetuate this mindset that what we LOOK like is more important than who we really are.

i also know that it’s not all bad. it’s fun to admire beauty and the aesthetics of things. it can bring us joy and inspire us. but maybe every once in a while it‘d be good to throw a little real life into the mix. no makeup. no super amazing-looking life in the background. no trying to fix my weird eyebrow that never wants to be a perfect eyebrow shape.

so anyway, just thought i’d take a moment to share #howitreallyis. i’m a person, still in my pajamas, with a sometimes weird eyebrow, who still compares and then feels crummy and then judges herself for comparing in the first place.

also, i think you’re perfect. would love to hear from you about #howitreallyis ♡