Latley I’ve been getting a little weary with social media, I think there’s a lot of pressure to be real and authentic but also really great. Social media sometimes can be a highlight reel of our lives or even an alternative or wishful version of ourselves. For example, nobody in real life calls me Mandysue – it’s a cutesy southernized version of my first and middle name – Amanda Susan. On Facebook I typically don’t talk about work but the rest of my life I’m pretty open about – Instagram however I stick to very surface level stuff.
Here’s some examples of how the Instagram version of myself is a little different than the in real life version :
Mandysue – wears heels with every outfit
Amanda – wears flats most days because she’s not the type to grin and bear achy feet
Mandysue – always wears makeup
Amanda – has been know to occasionally show up at work with no makeup and damp hair pulled up
Mandysue – has a clean, clutter free living room
Amanda – pulled out all her Halloween decorations but slept in Saturday instead of putting them up
Mandysue – never talks about politics
Amanda – will get into an argument with you on Facebook over politics
Mandysue – never talks about a day job, pretty clothes magically appear in her closet
Amanda – in general enjoys her job in finance but sometimes it’s the only place she wears the clothes she’s very carefully selected to stay within a certain spend each month
Mandysue – wear sunglasses in most of her pics because they’re stylish
Amanda – has terrible eyesight and is very sensitive to light. Also, hates the way her under eyes have shadows and dark circles.
So does this mean I’m going to start posting “I woke up like this” pics? Oh hell no! But, just remember the next time you see a post from the blogger who seems to have it all (yeah, I know that’s not me anyway) or the high school classmate whose life seems 10 times more fabulous that there’s often more than meets the eye.