The first thing I see when I open Instagram is the unattainable image. 

It’s an influencer ad, or it’s a Kardashian in a bikini, showcasing just how amazing their body is. 

I’m not trying to hate on the Kardashians, but I do question the beauty ideals they portray. 

However, this isn’t limited to the Kardashians — it’s everywhere on the internet.

When I see things like this, it makes me question the way I perceive my beauty, stemming from societal standards and constructs. 

“Do I really need shapewear?” and “Why don’t I look that way?”

Companies push the idea that their product will make you tanner, skinnier and healthier — leaving no room for the idea you can go without it.

It’s not a question that social media is unhealthy, but does anyone else see the extreme lengths individuals go to just to portray themselves nicely? 

I’m not trying to say not to post on social media, and I understand that the media is a fantasy.

I’m merely probing the idea that this isn’t real life. 

Daily I see happy people, having fun and living their best lives, but is that really who that person is? 

The idea that the only thing going on in one’s life is happy moments is ridiculous. We all have struggles, some worse than others. When I see these posts, it makes me judge myself and question why I can’t have a reality like that. 

I don’t need a brain to identify that this isn’t healthy, and by only showing our happy moments, it lessens the idea that “this isn’t real life.”

We don’t post our lowest moments. We don’t post our mental breakdowns, traumas and self-doubts. We internalize them even more when we’re faced with “Instagram reality.”

Why do we constantly allow social media to suppress our self-esteem and self-worth? 

Likes on a post have more power over certain people than a failed exam.

We give social media so much power just by succumbing to unrealistic expectations. 

I ask myself constantly how to overcome this without completely cutting out social media. 

The “Instagram Image” is so detrimental, and it’s unattainable. 

All forms of social media paint this recurring theme and force other users to follow the same pattern.

Instagram continually shows us the “could haves” and the idea that select products could help us in a certain way. 

In ways, I feel hypocritical having this opinion because I partake as well. 

I highlight my best moments, the pictures I look best in — feeding into the insanity that is social media. 

We all participate in this, but it doesn’t make it right. Reality is having hardships while also having good moments.

It’s common to feel subpar when logging into Instagram, but why do we give social media the power to make us feel less than others? 

Although I haven’t found the answer, I can say this: by cutting social media out of my life, I care less.

I care less about what other people’s social media image looks like because I can understand that was a moment in time. 

The saying “It didn’t happen if I don’t post it” is not true — it still happens.

Happy moments can be private and intimate. You don’t have to post them. 

I’ve started implementing this limiting in my own life, and I find myself caring less about my online image.

I am who I am, and I could not be prouder of that. Limiting how much I see has really helped my own perception of myself, and I challenge others to do the same. 

My biggest takeaway from Instagram is that it’s not real — it’s not reality, just an app. 

We need to change the narrative of social media, but that starts on the individual level. 

Use social media the way it makes YOU happy because, at the end of the day, your mental health is the most important thing.