Living in the 21st century, the involvement of social media seems to be the priority of teenagers and young adults everywhere. It is widely utilized to keep up with friends and family members, stay up to date with sports and politics and of course, see what’s happening in the lives of celebrities. Among them, many publicize their photos and opinions to thousands upon thousands of their followers daily. Many people who are caught up in the idea that celebrities are experts in the product, regimen, or lifestyle that they are endorsing take these posts to heart and action. This could be harmful in more ways than one, and when focusing on young adults, attempts to alleviate the constant pressure these young adults put on themselves to measure equal to their “idols” should be made.

Being a victim of constantly comparing myself to popular personalities on social media, appropriately given the name “Instagram models”, I think it is necessary to stress to young adults and adolescents that it can be harmful. Doing so can stimulate the urge to buy the product that these celebrities “swear by” (which they probably don’t) (they just say so to get paid) (but that’s another story), go to the gym an unhealthy amount of times per week because that’s what Victoria’s Secret models say they do and spend thousands of dollars on juice cleanses that completely destroy the healthy metabolism your body has adapted to suit you. Those people who are hired and given their paycheck specifically just to post photos of themselves on social media are not those types of people worth comparing yourself to.

Like a wise person once said, “If you want a burger, eat a burger. If you want some French fries, eat some French fries.” Never not do something that you usually do just because someone who lives in California, travels a lot and has a million Twitter followers for absolutely no reason said not to. Some crazes on social media are absolutely absurd (i.e. the Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge) and 20 years from now, you’re going to look back on these horrific trends, laugh and wonder why you ever wasted your time with it. You should never feel pressure to change what you’re comfortable with, whether it be your lifestyle or how you feel looking in the mirror... No amount of social media followers should define you.