This picture was taken just after we wrapped a scene in the video where I have my mate blow a hairdryer on my ice cream to make it look like I’m in a hot country, living my best life on social media when in actual fact, I’m sitting in a freezing cold bathroom in north London wearing a dressing gown and crocs.
The message is basically: nothing is ever as it seems. I can definitely apply that to my own life and my relationship with Instagram.
Though I do try my hardest to be as myself and as candid as I can, I would be lying if I said I hadn’t fallen into the trap of making it seem like all is fine and dandy online, when in reality, it isn’t. I get so stuck in the ‘compare and despair’ cycle and start to put all this unnecessary pressure on myself to be constantly doing as well as everyone else. When in actual fact, we’re all having good days and shit days, it’s just that we’re only posting about one of them. It’s no wonder ‘privates’ or ‘finstas’ are such a thing now – people are literally creating separate accounts where they can actually be themselves online. And that says it all.
I feel like I have struggled a lot less with that recently though. Once I actually acknowledged the things in the app that were keeping me from being unashamedly me, it was so much easier to have a healthy relationship with Instagram. There is such a wonderful side to it. I am so inspired by all the creatives and activists I follow online and I am obviously so lucky that I can connect with my fans on such a personal level.
I just have to take a step back and remember to say to myself: you don’t owe your followers your entire life. Unfollow who you want. Don’t reply if you don’t want to. Post what you want. YOU DO YOU. And never feel bad about it.
L Devine x
Watch L Devine’s latest video Boring People below
