Insta perfection

Surely social media has opened up many possibilities for us, they have become important means of communication, fundamental marketing tools for companies and a useful way to launch new brands. At the same time; this continuous use of social media has led us to be constantly bombarded by an almost surreal perfection (I call it INSTA-PERFECTION ).

Every day we scroll through the images on Instagram and almost feel the need to be just as perfect, to have the perfect breakfast (obviously super healthy, because in case someone shows off their pan trunk with 8kg of Nutella on top), to do the perfect workout with the branded outfit, having the perfect aperitif, the perfect outfit and above all the perfect body.

We noticed it even more during the quarantine period, where social media were almost the only way to have contact with the outside world, in that period where (almost) all the influencers showed us how to stay fit, how to have fun , how to eat, how to dress etc etc etc…. we were even more vulnerable to this fake perfection that is rampant on social media.

I am the first to use social media and I noticed right during that difficult period how much social media, or rather INSTA-PERFECTION, started to influence me, almost without me realizing it, and it still is.

If on a rainy day I don't feel like doing anything, I almost feel guilty watching everyone "do things", who are productive, who train, who put on make-up, and this throws considerable pressure on me. Then I don't care (as I didn't care during the quarantine) and stay in my pajamas, reading or watching series after series with my puppet, but who can't? Who doesn't feel up to it? Who thinks their life "isn't enough" because they compare it to what they see on social media? Who by dint of seeing these perfect bodies starts a fight against his own body because he thinks it's not beautiful? Why do you think you are not enough?

I really wanted to stop and think about how some women could feel, including me from time to time, by dint of seeing this fake perfection, these "perfect" bodies (for Instagram's beauty canons) that seem to be born this way. What do those women think who struggle even to remain positive, to see all these women who are always impeccable? Who never have a moment right?

What if we can't all divide what is reality from what is fiction? What if we can't all figure out that this INSTA-PERFECTION is bullshit?

I would like to say that none of us needs, much less deserves, further difficulties, none of us needs to feel "outdone", none of us needs further pressure to be (the pretended) "perfect woman".

So let's remember that this perfection is NOT TRUE, that we are all perfect in our own way, and we should be proud of it, let's remember that we don't have to compete with anyone and that there are no rules of what or who is better than anything else. We begin to appreciate ourselves for who we are, and we begin to be proud of it.

Ps: as a person recovered from eating disorders, please let us realize that certain messages HURT some people, and I'm not just talking about body shaming (which now seems like the norm on social media), I'm also talking about continuous diets, "ways" to keep fit, flaunting to everyone how many calories have been burned, etc.

If we wanted a diet, or 24-hour advice, we would have gone to a nutritionist, an expert.

Maybe I'm exaggerating, but I think more people can understand me.