There isn’t a person on social media who hasn’t seen at least one picture of the Instagram model sensation that is Alexis Ren. From her ephemeral exotic vacations, to her enviable, unparalleled body measurements, she’s amassed over 9 million followers on Instagram alone. A glance at her page and you see a girl in love with life; care-free, and unstoppable.

A person can build an empire of themselves on social media, making impressions across the world, but that empire is fragile when built on the confines of one’s own physical health, and the higher you build yourself, the easier it is to hide your true perception. The perception we see on the screens of our phones – healthy, fit, living the idyllic life – is a far cry from what Alexis was truly feeling, and battling internally.

In making a living off her body’s appearance alone, Alexis has come out as admitting to a severe eating disorder. With traveling 11 months out of the year, trying to acclimate her body to different cultures, Alexis developed a problem in over-exertion, and found relief in being able to deeply monitor what it is she ate; something that developed in time with her heightened relationship with Jay Alvarrez. Alvarrez, a music and video producer, used to make YouTube videos to over 20 million, documenting his relationship with Alexis while on their exotic trips abroad. This preempted Alexis to become her own worst critic, finding relief only in controlling her eating and exercise regimen. "It was a vicious cycle where when I did eat, I just felt worse, so I didn't want to eat, and ate less and less and less," stated Alexis, "I was scared of food."

Now healthier than ever, and with nothing to hide, Alexis has gained complete control of her life. However, this article is not to highlight the struggles Alexis Ren had to personally overcome, but to fully take in what Alexis has admitted to, and why she’s finally felt ready to share with the world her story of what’s been going on behind the camera.

Every minute of every day young women scroll on social media and compare themselves to nearly unrealistic expectations society has plagued them with. Someone who you looked at and thought had a near-perfect life, was battling internally with something millions of girls struggle with every day; it was just not captured on camera and posted on Instagram. One person’s natural body size is completely different from the next girls, and we should never look to Instagram to toxically wonder why we do not look a certain way. As Alexis said, it is OK to not be OK, and there are ways to make yourself feel and look as beautiful as she does, but it starts internally. A healthy mindset will make you feel on top of the world, not whether you are able to fit in a certain jean size.