Blog post #7

What we see online isn't really what the image portrays in real life. In our society, having the most likes, and followers is what makes or breaks you. 19 year old Australian model Essena O'neil, quit social media due to overwhelming feelings of just being an "Instagram photo." Social media puts a lot of pressure to being perfect, and portraying this image to show people that you're the best in what you do. What happens when you see someone in real life, and they don't look like their Instagram Photoshop photos? That's called being a realist. No one looks like they do on social media. This is why social media can be wrong in so many ways. So many young girls are feeling pressured to get ready for hours to take one single selfie, and post it. Girls will even go as far as not eating the whole day so they can look "skinny" for a photo. I think this is absurd to our younger generation. 19 year old Essena proved to all of us that behind her pretty face, and many followers, she isn't happy, and she doesn't feel confident with herself. How is that possible? Well social media makes us feel better when we get a lot of likes and comments, but what's really behind one picture can be really disappointing. I've had many thoughts about quitting social media because of this non reality image. My pictures may seem like I have a flawless face, but in real life, I'm actually a girl who is maturing, and I have pimples all over my face. I should feel proud that I have bigger thighs, and that you can't see my ribs. Social media shouldn't make us feel like we don't belong to society. This is why I find so much interest in this article, because sadly, I know the feeling that Essena had while being on social media.