The current weather makes staying in look better than going out. The idea of being in the comfort of your own home by the heater becomes all the more appealing. One by one the weekend plans get cancelled and the diary begins to look sparse again with many cross-outs. As I opt for lazy weekends, I do the most sociable thing by scrolling through Instagram. I have two accounts, one feed is filled with art while the other is a mixture of positive quotes and affirmations. It took one casual Sunday to get my Insta feed to look like this. Such a shift was needed for my self-confidence. My feed was once constantly bombarded with pictures of women who looked like they had walked straight out of vogue’s photoshoot. I’d often compare myself to images I knew were heavily edited. My flaws were beginning to stand out more. Liking certain posts were turning into wants and desires of flawless skin, voluminous hair and perfectly toned abs with tiny waists.
How long was I going to compare my real flaws to those that were edited to be barely there? Instagram grids are carefully curated. You’re only shown a squared segment, the imperfections are pushed outside the box. Unfortunately, it’s those well-cropped images that I took to be true until reality kicked. I started clicking the unfollow button and didn’t stop until I was left with a few influencers who made a positive difference. If you ask me what my feed looks like now, I’d happily tell you it’s filled with quotes that remind me to think about self-positivity throughout the day.
Blame It On Art 