This past week, Kendall Jenner did something that brought her even more attention: deleted her Instagram account. It was so monumental that news outlets including CNN reported on the 21-year-old supermodel’s abrupt departure from the social media site. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, she explained that she needed a “detox.”
It is no wonder that she needed a detox. People post nasty comments on her pictures, most often on her looks. It led me to think about one quote I saw on Pinterest a few months ago:
In the age of social media, it is so easy to get caught up in appearances. After all, we have access to dozens of filters and editing apps to make sure we are presenting our best selves in the pictures we post. While we all strive to look our best and are guilty of using these editing tools, I believe we, as a generation, are too caught up. There is so much more to life than being pretty, and there are so many more things I would rather be than just pretty.
I want to be the kind of person that makes others feel good. I want to be the one you turn to if you need a pep talk, a kind word, or advice. As Maya Angelou once said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
I want to be the reason people smile. When you are having a bad day, I want to be able to make you laugh. Being able to make people smile and laugh is so powerful. The people that make you laugh until you cry, to me, are the most beautiful.
I want to be smart. I want to learn new things every day and use them to change the world. I want to be able to talk about more than the cool picture on Instagram because there is a world outside that I want to be a part of. Kendall even referred to this when explaining her detox, saying giving up on Instagram for a little while has allowed her to fully live in the world around her.
I want to be strong. I want to be the person you trust and turn to when times are tough. I want to be able to support my friends and family throughout any dilemma and struggle.
I could go on and on and on. It is hard growing up in this generation because there is so much emphasis put on being pretty. People comment nasty things about people’s appearances on their social media accounts as if being pretty is the only important thing. There is so much more to life, which is why this quote is my favorite. It’s a quick little reminder for myself to prioritize what truly matters. I would rather be kind, funny, smart and strong than just pretty any day of the week.
