This past week an old friend texted me out of the blue and said, “...you are literally so perfect, ugh. I love following you and seeing everything you post!”

Imagine for a moment the state I was in and the reaction I had to this comment when I received it. I received this text mid-week: donning sweatpants and dirty hair while drowning in homework and in the midst of studying for an exam I’m sure I bombed. At that point in time, it seemed as though I was everything but perfect. Instead of a compliment from a friend, it turned into a huge over thought scenario for me.

Even on my best days, I don’t consider myself to be perfect. I don’t want to be. Admittedly, one of my flaws is the fact that I always find something to critique myself about; whether that’s the state of my hair, my skin not being clear enough, or my body not looking as great as I wish it did. While I recognize this is a flaw and a poor mindset to have, it’s the unfortunate truth for me. However, at the same time, I understand that you’ll always find something negative if you’re looking for it.

While I appreciate my friend for her kind words, it in a way made me reevaluate everything I’m posting on the internet. I’m not perfect at all, and I find it hard to believe that someone could assume that based on what I’m posting. But this all goes back to the idea that we truly only post our best images that represent the best things in our life. Senior year is fun, but every moment definitely isn’t picture perfect.

What I began to realize is that perfect is subjective. My perfect is not your perfect and I believe our perception of what perfect is comes down to the individual. Unfortunately, when we shelter certain sides of ourselves, we can hide dimensions that someone else may find perfect.

So from now on, I’m going to focus on being real, being honest, and being raw. That’s much more attractive than perfect anyway. I live for messy hair and no makeup and I promise not every cup of coffee I drink is Instagrammable.

Do me a favor and keep this in mind the next time you make a judgment on someone based on what you see online.