Take a look down any street and you see women covered in makeup. For some it’s simple girl fun, but for others it’s to hide their imperfections. If this sounds like something you’re interested in, try social media! It’s the new, fun, world-wide way to make sure you always look good!
Everyone knows makeup. People dab on concealer to hide acne breakouts, apply highlighter to accentuate strong features, and use mascara to make the eyes sparkle. Social media is the new makeup. It’s the easiest way to reveal only the greatest version of yourself. Not only that, but it’s constantly improving. New filters come out everyday to do anything from blurring out wrinkles and blemishes to giving you bright blue eyes and striking blonde locs. But wait, there’s more! Users immediately open an app to see several videos being shoved down their throats on how to get their body in better shape or how to get clearer skin than Kim Kardashian. Though, nobody talks about the struggle it takes to actually get there. Let’s face it, we all want clear skin and a thin waist. However, looking at those videos only perpetuates a “lack mindset” and the tendency to compare oneself to their peers.
Sophomore Emily Jackson shares her point of view on the matter. “Even though there is a lot of comparison on social media, I try to fill myself up with positive things. Like on Instagram, I’ll post my family or I’ll watch funny videos.” Although she once did struggle with this new perspective, she realized she needed to flip the way she thought about videos and herself.
“Yeah I feel the same way. I try to find videos that I’ll be inspired by. Or videos that will make me want to work harder. Not the videos that are over the top to the point where I am stuck putting me and some other girl side by side to see which one is better,” sophomore Tori Bove agrees.
While these girls have found a way to make the best of the growing saturation of highlight reels online, others still have trouble. A lot of this conflict may have to do with the age difference because the older generations did not grow up with this consistent stream of information.
“I’m on the edge of 2 generations, but I feel like people my age are affected by believing what we’re doing is not enough because of what we see on social media, so we are in a constant state of comparison” — Ms. O'Mara
Yearbook teacher O’Mara says. She too has faced the wrath of online scrolling, which results in putting others on a pedestal and feeling inferior.
However, she also reflects, “I see my peers doing it all and they’re not struggling because I don’t see them struggling because they don’t share that on social media.” It is important to remember that not everything is as it seems.
No matter what age anyone is, everyone is affected by this. It’s just the world that we live in and we have to maneuver through it. People have learned how to live through a screen and how to project only what they want people to know, but this is not reality. Concealer and highlighter can’t hide someone’s true colors forever, and neither can social media. No matter what is put online, the truth will always reveal itself one way, or another.