Do you find yourself swiping through your photos, desperately looking for the right one to post, but something is off? You think, “Ah yes that top is a curse and I know to never ever take photos in it.” As frivolous of a concern as this is, how you feel you look in your clothes plays a major role on your confidence to post online. Now that social media and how you appear on the Internet has become such a central point in our lives, the wardrobe we display to the world is adjusting, too. No longer is social media actually about the “social” aspects of our lives. Today, it is a portfolio of our closets, which can either be considered toxic or an opportunity for a creative fashion outlook.
When social networking first came about, a major purpose behind the idea was to let friends and family show each other what they are doing or provide an outlet to communicate across the world. Now, though, it’s impossible to scroll through Instagram and miss a photo of a couple of girls standing in front of a wall somewhere with high-fashion attire. They’re not exactly doing anything special and different, but looking special and different. Photo shoots are not just for models anymore. I, myself, am guilty of saying to friends, “Let’s go to the city to take cute photos,” rather than “Let’s go to get lunch and catch up, maybe see some sights.” Although we may hate to admit it, it’s rewarding to take pictures of ourselves that make us feel like celebrities. What is it about this being able to transform ourselves temporarily to show the world that is such a shallow, yet thrilling confidence boost?
Beyond the goal of looking good over looking social becoming the new norm, this explosion of fashion on our social media pages has created a bit of waste, too. I’ve overheard “I’ve already worn this in one of my photos, so I can’t wear it again,” one too many times. It’s silly to be nervous that people will judge us for being outfit repeaters when hopefully most of us wash our clothes, making it completely normal to wear something twice, isn’t it? But something with this new clothing culture has made it unacceptable to show that you don’t always have new pieces that are up with the ever-changing trends. Another large fear beyond wearing your own clothes twice for the Internet to see, is if it is documented that someone else has worn the same thing, too. Back before the picture-posting craze, if you wore the same dress as someone to a dance, it was for everyone to laugh it off there, but now it could be for everyone’s followers to see. As crazy as this may seem, it seriously is a faux pas for some Instagram and Snapchat users.
Finally, the shift in posting being about appearance has become a bit detrimental in terms of self confidence. I have many tops that I love to wear and make me feel good, but as soon as I see a photo of myself in them, I instantly feel “fat” or “ugly” even though I didn’t think that way when looking in the mirror. Should the post be about how you look in those clothes or the fun that you’re having? Does the piece of clothing only look good on you if it looks nice in the pictures. How you come across should not be deemed by your followers, but yourself. Although it is great that social media has become a creative fashion outlet for trends and to show off unique pieces, each user should be warned that your self worth is not based on your page. So, feel free to take pictures at actual events instead of just in front of an aesthetically pleasing background. It is also perfectly okay to post of photo of you in that red shirt more than once, or even go crazy and wear it three times. Lastly, how you look in an outfit in a photo does not change whether you are beautiful or not.