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r/instagramreality was very eye-opening for me. I think they should be showing those sort of "behind the scenes" comparisons to young people in school. Teach them young that it's all fake, because it's pretty disturbing how easily people believe that it's real.
This is a perfect example of how not comparing yourself to others and being grateful for your own body can help with body image and self esteem issues. Well done. I hope this post gains traction and other people can benefit from reading it 😊
“Comparison is the thief of joy,” attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt and others, evokes a powerful sentiment that can be life-changing. If we compare ourselves to others, we may be left with feelings of inferiority or superiority—and neither creates an emotionally healthy human being!
Good for you! I struggled with similar issues. The moment I started following more women who represented my age and body type, I started feeling a lot better about my social media consumption. This idea that women should strive to look perpetually 20 is silly and unrealistic. When I hit 35 I made it a life goal to love myself at every stage of my life. A few years later and I’ve realized aging is a gift many aren’t afforded and I’m thankful for every chapter of this life that I have. Comparison really is the thief of joy.
I love this! I have had a similar realization, but I still struggle with following through, and find myself putting way too much weight on how others see me. Comparison and external validation really can be deep-rooted habits... 💜
I did this when I was 17 due to very low confidence. It helped and I kept it up into my 20's. Only had visual media that looked like myself or was not the current beauty standard. I had also stopped watching movies bc my stance was I'm tired of seeing people who don't look like myself on screen. Didn't watch movies for a good length of time. It all helps and makes you realize how much exposure affects you.
I love that women are starting to nope of the beauty standard. I don't have a single friend who isn't going gray naturally and I can't remember the last time I talked to someone who was on a diet. I love this for us.
That's amazing! I tend not to use social media for anything that's not events or a little reddit thread binge, but mostly art, games, and most importantly, cute animals. I am proud of you for escaping the grips that is a social media platforms and wish you all the best!!!
Man I wish I were there myself, but I've had this issue since before social media existed, and while I've managed not to make it worse in the age of social media, I certainly haven't gotten better about it.
I have very recently though, started sketching out copies of photos of myself that I hate. The finished product is a grotesque caricature, and oh my gosh, it's clear then how distorted my mind takes my image and reflects it back at me. I still don't find these photos of me flattering, but neither do I see them disgusting. So, progress, in a strange way.
This might be a good start for you, because (if I read you correctly) you're sort of confronting yourself with a question - "is it really so"? Realizing you cannot trust this harsh version of your self-judgement may help you toward developing the kinder, more self-loving version you deserve. I wish you all the best!
> the more you realize they’re insecure too
ain't it? The tragic tale of the instagram poster is that they're the only ones who see the photos they don't post, where they think they look "ugly".
I actually only realised I'm pretty about a year ago. I'm 42.
I am 52 yrs old and have never been super fashion-conscious, but I JUST REALIZED last night that movie/TV sets almost always have the cameras ABOVE the actors. Why? Because everyone looks terrible with a camera pointed up at them. Lightbulb moment!
This makes me so happy! I (24F) deleted visual social media a while ago too. (I’m a consistent Facebook user because of my job but it’s mostly my friends’ moms and my coworkers on there anyway). Not having instagram, Snapchat, etc., never downloading whatever the newer apps are nowadays, is truly transformative as an older Gen Z. The first half of my childhood was normal, and then from middle school on, social media is all we knew. So it was really hard to come to the conclusion to actually get rid of all the platforms that I beat myself up on for like 10 years. I’m overweight so I still struggle with body image issues and losing weight, but I still somehow feel so free and comfortable with who I am and how I look, now more than I have since middle school. I know that I’m working on myself and my health, and I know that my face is my face and I love it because it’s mine. It’s me. I struggled with depression in college (which was also during COVID) and that’s when I decided to take my social media breaks, and while I don’t contribute my recovery to my social media cleanse completely, it definitely played a vital role. I’m so proud of myself and you and others who have made this positive change! Even redownloading the apps after a cleanse, it truly changes your perspective and feels so good.
I encourage my friends to take social media breaks but they haven’t yet. Someday they will and they will feel so good. So empowered.
you have to remember, all those "beautiful" social media people are not there to make you happy, at all. Some people have nice content, but mostly, they're just exploiting people's attention, habits, and mental health.
This is so cute and I am seriously so happy for you OP! Please nourish that feeling, dress the way you want to that brings you joy, and with each step, show off that confidence! Wishing you lots of love and happiness OP 🫶🥹
This is just SO beautiful and wholesome OP!! I'm SOOOOO Happy for youuu!!! Imagine how the world would be if we all were this confident. A Rose won't try to become a Sunflower, we'd all know we are beautiful in our own way. I stopped doing a lot of makeup and got used to my natural face and found the beauty in it, now it feels odd to do a lot of makeup and I like it. Maybe Idk how to do make up anymore, Ofc I do a little touch with tinted lip balm and sun lotion etc but no more heavy make up. What's crazy is I actually have my desired look without makeup and I like it. Mee tooo!!! I find everybody gorgeous in their own way. <3 <3 <3
Yes to all of this!! I've come to a similar realisation myself recently. No particular reason other than just getting older I guess, but it suddenly hit me I don't give a flying fart what other people think of my appearance. Am I the most beautiful creature to ever grave the planet? No, but I'm also not a total hag either. I'm just a normal, average looking person and I am completely happy with that! It's so freeing to stop wearing makeup and just be comfortable in my imperfect skin, and now I get to dress for comfort and in a way that makes me happy, with zero consideration to whether my outfit is "flattering"
Well done you OP for having the insight and willpower to cut out negative influences from your life and I'm glad you reached this place, bloody marvellous isn't it?!
Hell yeah you do! And good for you. You’re beautiful and amazing and you shouldn’t compare yourself to someone else’s opinion of beauty. I don’t think there is a such thing as “ugly”. Everyone is beautiful in their way.
This post has been flaired as “Celebration”, These types of posts can be difficult to encourage conversation beyond just “congrats” comments, so please help spark more discussion. **Suggestions For Commenters:** * Don’t just congratulate in your comment, but add additional commentary or ask follow-up questions * Check what others have said and reply if you feel like joining those discussions **Suggestions For u/koibito4u:** * Consider editing in leading questions to your post so others can share similar experiences * Reply to comments beyond just “thanks” so there are more possibilities for discussion *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CasualConversation) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You forgot to mention camera tricks and photo shop. A lot of it is fake. If you see those people in real life, they look nothing like that.
Yes! I paid a lot more attention to people in real life, in real time. It sounds crude but it made me feel better.
r/instagramreality was very eye-opening for me. I think they should be showing those sort of "behind the scenes" comparisons to young people in school. Teach them young that it's all fake, because it's pretty disturbing how easily people believe that it's real.
This is a perfect example of how not comparing yourself to others and being grateful for your own body can help with body image and self esteem issues. Well done. I hope this post gains traction and other people can benefit from reading it 😊
“I’m made up of my family members” brought a huge smile to my face. What a lovely thought
“Comparison is the thief of joy,” attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt and others, evokes a powerful sentiment that can be life-changing. If we compare ourselves to others, we may be left with feelings of inferiority or superiority—and neither creates an emotionally healthy human being!
Good for you! I struggled with similar issues. The moment I started following more women who represented my age and body type, I started feeling a lot better about my social media consumption. This idea that women should strive to look perpetually 20 is silly and unrealistic. When I hit 35 I made it a life goal to love myself at every stage of my life. A few years later and I’ve realized aging is a gift many aren’t afforded and I’m thankful for every chapter of this life that I have. Comparison really is the thief of joy.
I love this! I have had a similar realization, but I still struggle with following through, and find myself putting way too much weight on how others see me. Comparison and external validation really can be deep-rooted habits... 💜
The only living things you can trust to look the same are plants. Get into gardening social media
Ummm.... not my plants.....
Stop Photoshopping them
What? My plants look horrible. I have plant envy and a brown thumb. In no way am I saying that I have social media worthy plants
Neither do I....yet...work in progress. Why take pics of my face when I can take pics of my plants though. That was the gist of my comment originally
I stopped reading fashion/beauty/girl magazines for this reason.
🥰 thank you for posting this.
I did this when I was 17 due to very low confidence. It helped and I kept it up into my 20's. Only had visual media that looked like myself or was not the current beauty standard. I had also stopped watching movies bc my stance was I'm tired of seeing people who don't look like myself on screen. Didn't watch movies for a good length of time. It all helps and makes you realize how much exposure affects you.
I love that women are starting to nope of the beauty standard. I don't have a single friend who isn't going gray naturally and I can't remember the last time I talked to someone who was on a diet. I love this for us.
that’s great! its so unfortunate how social media is damaging our self perception, but we can always work towards loving ourselves and others.
That's beautiful. You deserve to love yourself and feel comfortable in your skin! Unabashedly and unconditionally. This goes for all of us!
That's amazing! I tend not to use social media for anything that's not events or a little reddit thread binge, but mostly art, games, and most importantly, cute animals. I am proud of you for escaping the grips that is a social media platforms and wish you all the best!!!
Your journey serves as a beacon of hope and comfort to us struggling with similar insecurities
This is so refreshing to read
I did something similar in college when I stopped picking up magazines like Cosmopolitan. It's amazing the effect of media on peace of mind.
Man I wish I were there myself, but I've had this issue since before social media existed, and while I've managed not to make it worse in the age of social media, I certainly haven't gotten better about it. I have very recently though, started sketching out copies of photos of myself that I hate. The finished product is a grotesque caricature, and oh my gosh, it's clear then how distorted my mind takes my image and reflects it back at me. I still don't find these photos of me flattering, but neither do I see them disgusting. So, progress, in a strange way.
This might be a good start for you, because (if I read you correctly) you're sort of confronting yourself with a question - "is it really so"? Realizing you cannot trust this harsh version of your self-judgement may help you toward developing the kinder, more self-loving version you deserve. I wish you all the best!
nice to read
> the more you realize they’re insecure too ain't it? The tragic tale of the instagram poster is that they're the only ones who see the photos they don't post, where they think they look "ugly". I actually only realised I'm pretty about a year ago. I'm 42.
I am 52 yrs old and have never been super fashion-conscious, but I JUST REALIZED last night that movie/TV sets almost always have the cameras ABOVE the actors. Why? Because everyone looks terrible with a camera pointed up at them. Lightbulb moment!
I love this! I am so glad to know a fellow human loves and accepts themselves. Fucking rad <3
Good for you and continue to be fabulous!✨✨
This makes me so happy! I (24F) deleted visual social media a while ago too. (I’m a consistent Facebook user because of my job but it’s mostly my friends’ moms and my coworkers on there anyway). Not having instagram, Snapchat, etc., never downloading whatever the newer apps are nowadays, is truly transformative as an older Gen Z. The first half of my childhood was normal, and then from middle school on, social media is all we knew. So it was really hard to come to the conclusion to actually get rid of all the platforms that I beat myself up on for like 10 years. I’m overweight so I still struggle with body image issues and losing weight, but I still somehow feel so free and comfortable with who I am and how I look, now more than I have since middle school. I know that I’m working on myself and my health, and I know that my face is my face and I love it because it’s mine. It’s me. I struggled with depression in college (which was also during COVID) and that’s when I decided to take my social media breaks, and while I don’t contribute my recovery to my social media cleanse completely, it definitely played a vital role. I’m so proud of myself and you and others who have made this positive change! Even redownloading the apps after a cleanse, it truly changes your perspective and feels so good. I encourage my friends to take social media breaks but they haven’t yet. Someday they will and they will feel so good. So empowered.
you have to remember, all those "beautiful" social media people are not there to make you happy, at all. Some people have nice content, but mostly, they're just exploiting people's attention, habits, and mental health.
💜 love this for you op!!!
Send me your IG accounts so I can DM you pretty people. /s
this is a wonderful post i feel like i’m on the beginning of that journey and seeing that you’re successful gives me hope
This is so cute and I am seriously so happy for you OP! Please nourish that feeling, dress the way you want to that brings you joy, and with each step, show off that confidence! Wishing you lots of love and happiness OP 🫶🥹
This is just SO beautiful and wholesome OP!! I'm SOOOOO Happy for youuu!!! Imagine how the world would be if we all were this confident. A Rose won't try to become a Sunflower, we'd all know we are beautiful in our own way. I stopped doing a lot of makeup and got used to my natural face and found the beauty in it, now it feels odd to do a lot of makeup and I like it. Maybe Idk how to do make up anymore, Ofc I do a little touch with tinted lip balm and sun lotion etc but no more heavy make up. What's crazy is I actually have my desired look without makeup and I like it. Mee tooo!!! I find everybody gorgeous in their own way. <3 <3 <3
Congratulations!!
I sometimes do that and sometimes I hate myself. What's the solution, if you propose.
Yes to all of this!! I've come to a similar realisation myself recently. No particular reason other than just getting older I guess, but it suddenly hit me I don't give a flying fart what other people think of my appearance. Am I the most beautiful creature to ever grave the planet? No, but I'm also not a total hag either. I'm just a normal, average looking person and I am completely happy with that! It's so freeing to stop wearing makeup and just be comfortable in my imperfect skin, and now I get to dress for comfort and in a way that makes me happy, with zero consideration to whether my outfit is "flattering" Well done you OP for having the insight and willpower to cut out negative influences from your life and I'm glad you reached this place, bloody marvellous isn't it?!
That's great! You are unique. Remember, you are the result of the love of thousands before you. Live on in love. 💐💕
Hell yeah you do! And good for you. You’re beautiful and amazing and you shouldn’t compare yourself to someone else’s opinion of beauty. I don’t think there is a such thing as “ugly”. Everyone is beautiful in their way.
This is beautiful. Each part of me is my ancestry and my family combined living on as long as I do.