You may have already realised that I am a HUGE fan of Instagram, not least because it has facilitated the most wonderful transition in my life from corporate lawyer to life loving funtrepreneur. On top of providing a foundation and community for our two businesses, Matcha Maiden and Matcha Mylkbar, it has also connected me with new friends, ideas, and perspectives all over the world for which I am eternally grateful. So don’t get me wrong – I am ALL about the gram and the incredible connector it can be (hence why my title wasn’t “Instagram is not reality”, but rather that it is a “curated reality”).
I do, however, take some of its downsides very seriously and sincerely worry for its potential impact (particularly on younger, more impressionable generations) if not used responsibly. Even myself, as a generally confident, relatively successful, always grateful and rarely jealous person, a solid Insta scroll can provide a forum for endless, silly comparison, loss of perspective and dissatisfaction leading to anxiety or unhappiness. Particularly in the area of body image, social media can leave even the most beautiful of humans feeling like a shapeless, pasty blob. So one of the most welcome introductions to my feed in between all the perfect bikini bodies has been influencers who dare to share their not so flattering snaps (because, yes, everyone has their own blooper reel). For example:
This is my entire camera roll. Any of my various Insta-husbands and wives can attest to this.
I won’t lie, I definitely do a VERY critical triage of most of my photos and like to put my best foot forward. It’s only human to post photos you like of yourself, keeping the blooper reel for the memories only. But I try to instil authenticity as much as I can in all our social activity, while trying my best to navigate the fine line between honest, open content and tragic unwarranted oversharing. I’m also a big believer in doing things outside your comfort zone PLUS doing things that might have a positive impact on others. So, much to my own horror, I’ve decided to share a few of my less preferred recent snaps to remind anyone who sees them that what you see on Insta is a CURATED reality.
Here’s a few from the recent Bali trip:
Note to self: boxing action shots are not always a good idea…
Literally two minutes between these photos – quick outfit change and a few shadows change things a lot! Photos only capture a static, frozen image of you and lighting / movement / angle can capture even a Victoria’s Secret angel off guard (or maybe not a Victoria’s Secret angel but anyone excluding them).
To be clear, I’m not saying anything negative about my body or that any of the blooper photos are “bad” in any way. Like all humans, I have days where I’m confident and happy with my body and days when I feel less so, but overall I am very grateful for my health, body and mobility. All I’m pointing out is that your OWN confidence in your body shouldn’t be impacted by what you see in anyone else’s photos because there are SO many variables that make that a silly comparison.
Hopefully, this post has been as refreshing and comforting for you as it is every time I see a similar kind of thing from others. Did NOT think some of these would make it onto the Interwebs, but there you go! #liberating
The infamous leg pop and ab flex. Less than 10 seconds between these at the gym in LA earlier this year.
My hips appear and disappear like they’re playing hide and seek sometimes! Only a minute and an elongating lunge between these.
Hope you all enjoyed! There are PLENTY more where these came from (lols).