Open Letter To The Girls I Was Jealous Of On Social Media

To the girls I was jealous of on social media:

I would see your pictures on social media and think to myself, “Wow, look at their lives.” You all were so gorgeous and had the best taste in style. You all were doing grand things such as traveling to exotic places, landing internships, splendid opportunities and obtain campus leadership roles coming left and right. Most of you all had boyfriends, and for the ones that didn’t, guys still flocked. All of you were honestly living the college experience, and I was only in my dorm room watching you all do it from my timeline on social media.

There were many times freshman year and even now sometimes I would find myself comparing myself to the girls that were on my timeline. Their lives seemed better than mine. I would see you all post about getting good grades, how much your boyfriend adored you, and the opportunities you all landed. I felt like my life wasn’t good enough in comparison. I felt so worthless and rejected. You know that saying, “comparison is the thief of joy.” Well, if you did not know, it is. As using all my energy in comparing my life to theirs, I was making myself very unhappy and unsatisfied with my life. I would always wonder, “What was I doing wrong and they were doing right?”

I remember my Spanish 2001 teacher told us something one day in class about how on social media people hide what they are going through by posting the good parts of their lives. When I heard that, it clicked for me. Nobody is going to post a picture talking about how even with a big friend group they still feel lonely. Nobody is going to tweet about having body issues or that they face anxiety. Nobody wants to highlight the ugly parts of their lives.

So to the girls, I was jealous of: Most of you all could be going through the same thing as me. Fighting the battle of comparing yourself to others. Admiring someone else’s beauty while questioning your own. Learning how to love you for who you are despite your flaws and all. Being okay with being alone even though everybody else around you are going on dates and have boyfriends. Most importantly, learning how to be truly happy and not just happy on social media. So to all the girls, I was jealous of on social media, keep doing you, because I learned how to do me.

Sincerely,

A former follower

#socialmedia #comparision #selflove