I remember a food blogger who showed photos of two halves of her kitchen, taken at the same time. The first photo was a beautiful "food blogger/influencer" photo. Everything was neat. The food was positioned just so. You wanted to live there.
The second photo was of the whole kitchen. Half of the kitchen was the "perfect blogger kitchen" The other looked like a bomb hit it. It looked like MY kitchen (before I hired dd to clean my house for me). Books, mess, papers, dishes, etc. You could see the line between "photo-ready half of the kitchen" and "People actually live here" kitchen.
So much mess. So much LIFE!
God bless her abundantly for her bold honesty.
I also watched a video of a body builder who showed how people fake "before and after" photos. In a matter of moments and lighting, he went from "overweight" to "ripped". How many people watch fitness influencers and say "I can't ever get that flat of tummy (spanx and sucking it in) or "How does she not have any cellulite?!" (her fat is deeper--cellulite is fat closer to the skin--or she filtered the pic, or she didn't take a photo of the more adorably dimply parts of her.).
All those perfect hair/perfect makeup/perfect life people are not giving you the full story. No one has a perfect life. Remember, the influencer is SUPPOSED to make you think she has a perfect life. That's how she gets likes and therefore ad revenue.
Now, I am not saying that influencers are all lying! No!
But I am saying that they aren't sharing everything.
They aren't taking photos of themselves on the potty, or taking videos of their latest argument with their spouse, or listing how many times they just bought happy meals in the past month. No one who is selling anything tells you the downsides. Marketing is all about showing only the good parts, whether you are buying a car, buying a candy bar, or buying into a lifestyle.
I take a few photos of my food and life from time to time and post them on insta or facebook. (I'm not an influencer, I'm just an introvert who is trying to make sure people know I'm still alive :D.)
The food photos I take are of bread because I'm good at baking bread and I know people love to see bread with melted butter. I don't take photos of tyson chicken patties, even though I am just as capable of nuking one of those (and do that more often).
I take photos of TWS and I smiling together on our rucks. I don't take photos of our tired, sore, damp feet at the end of the ruck.
I take photos of my lunar-eyed cat on the screen porch when the sun makes his eyes deep enough to swim in and light like air. I don't take photos of him in the litterbox.
KWIM? Even your favorite gorgeous actress uses the..ahem..litterbox. Your decor influencer does not float around from perfect room to perfect room all day. Your farm influencer doesn't wander languidly through blooming, weed-free gardens every day. Your food blogger sometimes burns the mess out of stuff. Your travel influencer gets jet lagged and stays in foreign hotels watching I Love Lucy re-runs.
We have to be SO careful not to let someone's "highlight reel" start making us feel discontent or restless. If you ever, EVER start comparing yourself to someone on insta or facebook or even someone you know, please, my sweet, dear sister, STOP! The Lord didn't make you to be discontented by media!
Let me say that again: The Lord did not make you to be discontent by what you see on media! If it makes you start to feel less than or insecure or restless, then that means you are letting the enemy steal the joy the Lord has for YOU! That decor influencer might really wish she could have a passel of kids strewing toys all over that hand-stitched alpaca rug.
That farm influencer might be so ready to have your circle of friends.
That food blogger might really wish she was as good at raising her children as you are.
That travel influencer might really wish she just had someone to go home to.
That fitness youtuber might really wish she could just be judged on her mind and not have every.single.thing. she eats be weighed and judged.
Rejoice my sweet friend! You are loved by Him! You have only once influencer that you need to pattern your life after, and He never had an insta...
(Huh! I sense another blog post! "If Jesus Had An Insta....". What do you think it would be like? :) )