Pressure to look perfect

It's the millions of Instagram photos, every girl having flawless make up and clothes, it's peer pressure. Every girl walking around looking absolutely perfect and they have their boyfriend walking beside them. It's practically forcing you to do everything in your power to have that, look amazing, perfect and hot everyday of your life and to have a boyfriend to prove something to everyone.

Why has life become so ****ing hard for teenagers!? i'm a 17 year old girl. I couldn't care less about my looks 2 years ago but now i'm constantly looking in the mirror constantly doing my hair and buying new clothes to fit everyone. There's so much pressure now!

Agree?
Everyone is perfect in their own cute way x

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Reply 1

hello_shawn

Solution? Stop using Instagram.

Reply 2

Spanx

You probably feel the pressure because you buy your clothes to fit everyone...maybe start with your size and then worry about others looking good in your clothes later....

Reply 3

fallen_acorns

I do feel for young girls today. I mean, it wasn't easy when I was a teenager, but then social media was just starting.. no instagram, no twitter, myspace and bebo were just coming about, but they were much less of an invasive force then facebook/youtube/instagram etc.

Back then I think it was still possible to be a reasonably trendy girl whilst not caring to much. Now it seems to me like its all or nothing... either you reject it all and just say '**** all of this, Im going to do my own thing' or you fit in and conform completly.. I feel like the middle ground of just being a normal teenage girl is shrinking somewhat.

Reply 4

username4454836

If you are so easily swayed by Instagram then you should stop using it.

You are not being forced to do anything.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 5

Fullofsurprises

Original post by hello_shawn

Solution? Stop using Instagram.

It's hard not to use something that's so talked about, pervasive and part of the culture. Anyone can try and be a hermit and avoid all social discourse, but most people want to be part of what goes on.

Instagram is a symptom, not a cause, of the obsession with how we look rather than what we are, but the way forward is to game it and undermine it with contradictory imagery. It's also perfectly possible to enjoy some things on Instagram without spending all your hours checking out the Kardashians or people with perfect silver hair and wardrobes purchased by corporations to show in glitzy locations.

Reply 6

tazarooni89

I think that a lot of the “pressure” is just created in your own head, rather than by Instagram or the other people using it.

Firstly: You know perfectly well that social media presents a very one-sided view of people’s lives.

Other people post photos of themselves when they’ve just got dressed up, done their makeup and are ready to go out. But that doesn’t mean they’re always looking perfect and having fun; they just don’t post the rest of the time. Nobody uploads a photo of themselves in bed with the flu, or any other mundane aspect of their lives. They just show you what they want you to see.

In particular, they don’t show you the amount of thought and effort that often goes into one Instagram post. That may involve hours stressing over each strand of hair, taking 100 photos from all angles just to get the perfect one, trying out every filter possible, and going all the way back to return the outfit the next day because they can’t actually afford it. All of it is just a result of the pressure they’re feeling themselves.

Secondly: All that effort and stress they’re going through is ultimately worthless anyway because, to put it bluntly, nobody cares about you that much. People don’t spend their lives scrutinising your photos, checking to see what clothes you have and judging you if your makeup isn’t perfect. Everyone has their own things to worry about. The “pressure” isn’t coming from other people, it’s coming from your own imagination that there’s constantly a spotlight on you. There isn’t.

Think about it; when photos come up in your feed, don’t you just swipe straight past the majority of them without giving them a second look? That’s what most people are doing with your photos too.

I would say, just don’t overthink it. If you want to use Instagram, just use for its intended purpose. If you see something that other people mind find interesting and it’s worth sharing, take a quick photo and upload it. But don’t worry too much about the “social consequences” because there probably aren’t any.

Reply 7

Obolinda

Volunteer Team

Haha, I feel u.

I don't feel these pressures, tho. Don't have any social media.

Reply 8

username4454836

Original post by Obolinda

Don't have any social media.

She says while posting on social media :facepalm2:

Reply 9

Obolinda

Volunteer Team

Original post by Decahedron

She says while posting on social media :facepalm2:

U knew what I meant.🙄😂 like sc, insta, etc. How would I get a pressure to look perfect from TSR, pls?

Reply 10

Plumstone

Original post by Fullofsurprises

Avoiding social media doesn't mean being a hermit. There is a whole world full of real people that you can interact with, even without logging onto a computer.

I agree with the second part of your post, but I don't agree that staying off social media is hard....

Reply 11

Picnic1

People need to stop saying that these people are 'perfect'. They're often ill educated, ill-cultured, vain-glorious or depressed people. Which is nothing compared to their less well paid Walter Mitty fans.

If some girls feel pressured, believe me some older rmen feel even more pressured. The women their own age are often tired, cynical or worn out. The women younger than their own age are often tired, cynical or worn out before they should be.

That's the alcohol/ dieting obessed / binge eating society for you.

It's like many, many people are constantly fighting themselves. And then applauding or buying the products of the very people who are making them unnecessarily fight themselves.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 12

simpliustheII

not being perfect, not having flawless skin or not having a boyfriend does prove something to everyone, it shows your an independent bad ass who doesn't need anyone to approve of her looks!

Original post by RG250

Reply 13

----_----

Original post by RG250

Idk i dont really give a ****. I never had friends in secondary school so i kinda stop caring what other people thought. If i tried to be like them, they didnt like me, if i didnt try to be like them, they still didnt like me
I think im beautiful and i have a very attractive boyfriend and idk idc what people think. I have decent style, my hair is ok, i try look after my skin and body and mind and thats all that matters really

Reply 14

RG250

Original post by ----_----

Fair enough. I agree, i'm starting to get to the point where i don't give a **** what people think about me anymore

Reply 15

maxrichards.

Original post by RG250

Just don't worry about it.
Embrace some existentialist philosophy. Everything around us is transient.
Even if someone appears beautiful, they are in no doubt imperfect in some way, and eventually they will get old, and die.
Cheerful right?

Reply 16

----_----

Original post by RG250

Fair enough. I agree, i'm starting to get to the point where i don't give a **** what people think about me anymore

Honestly youll feel a lot better when you completely stop caring.
Ive also stopped using instagram, I found it to be really toxic imo

Reply 17

Obolinda

Volunteer Team

Original post by mpaprika

the only pressure you could get from TSR is to have 25262826253 A*s at a level and be accepted into both Cambridge and Oxford at the same time :ahee:

Yh 😂

Reply 18

gjd800

Original post by mpaprika

the only pressure you could get from TSR is to have 25262826253 A*s at a level and be accepted into both Cambridge and Oxford at the same time :ahee:

Yes, and to only study a STEM degree that is GUARANTEED!!! to get you a job :laugh:

Reply 19

username4565188

Original post by RG250

Fair enough. I agree, i'm starting to get to the point where i don't give a **** what people think about me anymore

the most important thing is what you think about yourself.Others come and go- your mind will stay with you for your life If u know what I mean.so do what you feel is good and right for you.