She possesses an hourglass body with perfectly sculpted curves that seem too flawless to be real. A flat tummy devoid of blemishes or stretch marks, and skin so silky smooth and radiant that anyone would be jealous. Then a face without a single impurity and facial harmony that anybody would envy. Her hair always looks like she walked right out of the salon, impeccably styled, thick, glossy, and falling right into place. Her wardrobe seems like every piece was tailored for hours by famous seamstresses to hug her body right in every way possible. She radiates an air that is effortless perfection, as if everything in her life has fallen into place without a single ounce of effort on her part.
We’ve all had this experience on Instagram, or really any social media. It seems like every single time she inevitably pops up on your Instagram feed during a scroll sesh, everything looks picture-perfect. That’s the thing though, it's just “picture perfect.” Only perfect for the few seconds that it takes for the camera to capture that single moment. The few seconds that cost her hours of intricately planning the perfect outfit combination that appears best on camera, the primer that makes her skin pop under the harsh lighting of her phone’s flash, the “spot cleaning” of her room so that she doesn't appear to be messy, and even to what time of day she will capture these images to get the best natural light. She is simply setting unrealistic and unattainable expectations for any woman, but especially the young girl’s feed she frequently pops up on.
She even manages to make going to the gym look good in her 6:00 am vlogs. She constantly transmits that she is always in a state of productive perfection. These short clips and pictures that fill your social media don’t show the numerous retakes, recapturing of differing angles, and the dozens of hours of editing that only keep the parts that omit all of her flaws. This portrayal is nothing more than a mere illusion, designed to be unattainable for most people. The reality of what's behind the camera is dramatically different from what she wants us to see.
Many of the women and girls who see her posts strive to reach this unattainable goal daily. Simply put, trying to maintain something that not even she can uphold for more than a few edited clips is simply impossible. This goal can lead to questioning of your self-worth, deterioration of self-image, confidence issues, and feeling like you’re always falling short or not enough.
The confidence that she radiates seems flawless, but in reality, it's not confidence at all, it's the lack of it that makes her seem so perfect. If she had true confidence, she wouldn't feel the need to edit all of her videos and put filters on all of her pictures. True confidence comes from embracing who you are, perfection, AND flaws. Confidence isn't about how cute you look in your friend’s snap or how perfectly your life appears in your highlight reel. It’s about knowing how all of the things that are unique about you intertwine to make you who you are. Although cliche, confidence comes from the inside out, from being authentic and internally accepting that perfection is only limited to a screen. When you recognize that everyone has insecurities and that nobody’s life is as perfect as it might seem on social media, you can start to build real, lasting confidence.
So the next time you see her on any social media platform, remember that she is only showing you what she wants you to see, not the authentic, truly confident her. She wants you to see perfection, but from now on you know that that is not possible. You know that your confidence isn’t about perfection—it’s about authenticity, self-acceptance, and the courage to be unapologetically yourself.
Bayleigh White
Jonesboro, Ar
The Academies at Jonesboro High School
Insta:bayleigh_whitee
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