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Life > Experiences

The Reality Of A “Perfect Life”

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter.
tao and elle on a movie date in heartstopper season 2
Netflix/See-Saw

I think I can speak for almost everyone about how we have felt influenced watching some sort of media– whether that be through social media or through cinema. Most of us have felt rather inspired seeing someone do something and felt the desire to become this person. Envy is our greatest enemy.

People tend to over-romanticize things they view in the media. A common occurrence I’ve seen are people that want to have a romantic relationship just like The Notebook. “Is love like in the movie The Notebook actually possible?” While The Notebook is one of the most critically acclaimed romance movies, it does possess some of the more toxic elements in a relationship- like how Noah hangs from a ferris wheel threatening to harm himself if Allie doesn’t go out with him, the explosive arguing, and how the idea of love can fix everything, even when the relationship is built on unhealthy dynamics that would not lead to the happy ending we saw from Noah and Allie in the real world.

We are constantly being bombarded with images, ideals, and lifestyles that are curated in the media to seem “perfect.”  Even in advertisements, actors are shown from having a perfect, ideal life from a single product, when in reality, it is not the same as the advertisement. We are shaped to craft a perception of what it means to live a “good life,” but this often leads to a kind of internal struggle with ourselves where we feel compelled to live up to these unrealistic expectations instead of being our own true selves. 

The desire to emulate what we see can distort our reality as we begin to measure our successes, relationships, and even our self-worth against fabrications. This phenomenon isn’t limited to just romantic relationships–  it is also present in career aspirations, body images, and lifestyle choices. The problem is that these media portrayals often lack depth, ignoring the complexities and nuances of reality. Striving to become someone else diminishes the richness that comes from embracing our own imperfections and differences that makes us, us.

During my senior year of high school, my teacher assigned Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, a novel that delves into a society in which you sacrifice personal freedoms and individuality for the sake of having “stability.” Everyone in this dystopian world is conditioned to think, behave, and even feel the same way, erasing the diversity of thought and experience that is essential for our own personal growth– somewhat mimicking how we as a society get easily influenced by sociological instances, such as groupthink. Without individuality, the characters in Brave New World live superficially, demonstrating the dangers of a society where conformity is the highest virtue.

On several social media platforms, micro-trends like “clean girl aesthetic” or “cottage core” have led many people to abandon their own personal style or preferences by convincing themself to fit into these fads in a quest for validation and a sense of belonging. 

Personally, I have fallen victim to this as I feel like some things I believe I like are just because I succumbed to social pressures to value a certain mindset. I cannot give advice on how to avoid losing your individuality, as I am a seventeen-year-old and most teenagers are heavily influenced by others actions, by their idols, or honestly just their parents. But one thing that is important to keep in mind that I can tell you is to know that differences aren’t a bad thing, it is what makes us our own selves.

Paige Javor

CU Boulder '28

Paige Javor is a staff writer at the Her Campus Chapter at the University of Colorado at Boulder. As she joined in September 2024, her duties include researching and writing articles and features to be published. At the University of Colorado at Boulder, she is a freshman double majoring in Political Science and English with an additional minor in International affairs as she is on a pre-law track. She began her professional writing career this year as she has past experience writing in advanced placement classes in highschool. She was very involved at her high school’s Make-a-Wish club as she served a role on the executive board helping organize fundraisers to raise over $10,000 a year for a specific wish family. Paige is also a part of Alpha Chi Omega, a sorority of Greek life in which she is very passionate about their philanthropy. Paige is involved in Phi Alpha Delta which is the pre-law fraternity as well as many other organizations on campus. Outside of school, Paige is a relentless shopper (both online and in-person) and a big foodie. She also indulges in binge-watching movies and shows. She is always almost found with at least one earbud in her ear as she listens to almost every type of music genre. She loves going on adventures with her friends as they span from going on a day long trip, or even just going to the grocery store. She as well loves spending time with her parents and texting them throughout the day to give random life updates or just to say hi.