*The picture above of is me in the first grade. The year was 1998 and it was a time where I didn't care about anything in this article. I only cared about the Spice Girls and dance class. What a time.*

Hello all! Hope everyone is happy and well and lovely!

I was casually scrolling through the popular page, which is how I find other creatives and also seems to the premise of a lot of my stories (God is working on me). I saw a post belonging to a girl I use to be closer friends with for a long time. We parted ways a while back and I can honestly say there isn't any hard feelings or bad blood between us but things happen and people grow apart...welcome to adulthood.

I was looking at her Instagram feed (fix your face and stop judging me because you do it too), I saw a picture of her and it was what one might consider "risque." So I screenshot the picture and I was about to send it to a friend, but I stopped myself. I asked myself why I was doing that? Why was I so quick to screenshot something I don’t really care about of someone I don’t really speak to anymore? Why would I send it to people just to talk Sugar Honey Ice Tea (figure that out LOL) about them stir up a conversation that does NOTHING for my growth? WHY DO WE DO IT TO EACH OTHER?

I consider myself a feminist. I want to empower and uplift women and see us being treated just as fairly and equally as our male counterparts. I am an advocate for not just cisgender women like myself, but my LGBTQ sisters as well. If I’m the feminist I claim to be, working for equality for all women. I feel as if I am an advocate for not just cisgender women like myself but my LGBTQ sisters as well. If I’m the feminist I claim to be, working for equality for all women, why would I subject myself to screenshot a picture of a girl I follow just to send it to someone else and laugh or poke fun at it? Seems counterproductive to me. So what if a woman wants to post that picture? It's her body. Let her do what she wants.

Hate-watching (or hate following) is defined as watching something just to complain about it instead of watching it for the enjoyment of its content. Why do we hate watch? Why do we hate follow Facebook profiles, Instagram pages, Twitter feeds? Why do it? Insecurities? Jealously? Boredom? The answers are honestly endless. But I do have a solution to the problem.

UNFOLLOW.

Just unfollow them. It's so easy. It's literally tapping a screen and you won't see their posts anymore. Voila. If the only reason you follow a person is to keep up with their life in order to find something wrong with it, what good are you doing to your soul? So the next time you screenshot someone and you're about to send it to your best galpals and laugh at them, think about this. Who are you really hurting? Them or yourself?

My challenge to you and is to make your social media platforms a place of positivity and growth. If you feel that person truly isn't worth your time, leave them in the last season. I know it sounds a bit dramatic because it's only Instagram or it's only Facebook. But, protecting your peace means minimizing mess. So let's start sweeping, boo.

I love each of you and thanks for reading. Until next week!

God Speed,

Lu.