Why I Stopped Getting Dressed for Instagram

I've been thinking about this post for awhile, so I decided it was time to get it written to share with you all. Social Media can be a wonderful thing that connects like-minded people, as well as allowing us to stay connected to dear friends who have moved, and to see the day to day lives of those who are still an important part of our lives. In my opinion, though, Social Media can also create jealously, unrealistic expectations, and a "staged" ideas of what peoples daily lives are like.

Now, I'm not saying we should all go out and air our dirty laundry on Social Media, but I think being authentic is important. I say this because, I don't think I was showing a very authentic version of myself on Social Media, specifically on Instagram, for the first year or so I took part in it. I'm not going to lie, I got obsessed with how many "likes" each post got and how many new followers I gained each day.

Now, I didn't take part in loop giveaways to gain followers, as I knew that just wasn't for me, but I wanted people to follow me, and I spent way too much time trying to create and take the perfect outfit photos, simply to get "likes" and follows. This was my issue. I was way too worried about what those on Instagram thought and not enough about my real life, you know, the one outside of my smart phone.


This also caused me to "out dress" the people in real life I really cared about. I'm all for feeling confident and taking pride in how you show yourself, but wedges, shorts, and a stack of bracelets is not how people dress for play dates, the park, or the library here. Shorts, a tee shirt, and sandals are pretty sufficient and the last thing I want to do is make someone feel inferior, because they aren't dressed to the nines for the park. I also am well aware now that I probably looked like I was overcompensating by constantly overdressing.  Now, most of the outfits I wear on the blog are nicer ones I wear for school, church, date night, and nights out with friends, which call for dressing up, but that is only two or three outfits a week, and not daily #OOTDs on Instagram.

I tried to pretend that this wasn't my issue for a long time. But when I began to look at my camera roll and saw a view like this, I began to realize there was a problem.

Now, everyone is different, and I'm not showing this to call out anyone whose camera roll looks this way, but for me, how many pictures does a person really need to take of themselves to be the perfect outfit shot, really? This truth from Luke 12:34 began to resonate with me:

There are way more important things in like than the clothes we wear. Duh, right? Now, I still like to show an outfit on Instagram when I have time, but if I don't, no biggie. I also quit planning what I was going to wear just so I could post it. I'm kind of over stacking bracelets and statement necklaces. Most days this summer I'm without bracelets, or I wear one simple one, and I'm loving more delicate necklaces or pendants right now too. And here is what I've concluded:

So, yeah, feeling confident is good and there's nothing wrong with looking nice, but I had a heart issue that needed to be dealt with. Clothes are fun, but they are just that, clothes. 

What are your thoughts on this, I'd love to hear!