Nieszczur: ‘Likes’ can’t buy happiness

We all know that person that is living the perfect life on social media — toned body at the gym, mirror selfies, colorful, healthy arrays of breakfast food, perfectly timed “candids”, flawless skin and a glowing white smile, and the couple photos that everyone comments “goals” on. But do we really know that person?

Behind the glitz and glamour that the camera lens seems to portray their life as, they have a different story to tell. Behind that flawless gym selfie is a guy who was bullied for years for being chubby and having small muscles. He was called derogatory names and made fun of by the other guys for not being “man enough.” Now he works out excessively, and posts his progress on the internet to make sure everyone knows how great he looks because he is still so insecure from his past.

Behind the photos of the colorful cornucopias of beautiful food is a girl who struggles to pick up a fork. Plagued by an eating disorder, she posts beautiful food arrays to convince her concerned family and friends that she is, in fact, eating.

Behind that perfect candid is a girl who bossed her mom around to take a million photos of her “candidly” until she approved of the perfect one that could get her the most social media attention. She yells at her mom for being “so technologically stupid” and for “wasting her time.” In front of the lens, she’s the happiest girl, but behind it is a girl with a broken family.

Behind the flawless facial features are numerous credit card receipts from the tanning salon, dentist, hairdresser and makeup boutique. Although she can barely afford it, she feels like she has to do all these things because someone in the past told her that her natural self was not pretty enough.

Behind the pictures of the perfect couple that makes everyone jealous of their love are times of fighting, lies and loneliness. She posts the photos of them to avoid facing the reality of the broken relationship in front of her.

This New Year, I urge you to strive to live genuinely. Live life for yourself, not for the photo opportunity or the potential ‘likes’ a situation could present. Be comfortable with your selfie and find beauty in your natural state. Learn to not make your happiness dependent on anyone else but yourself. You can be proud of yourself, but be modest in how you tout yourself online. Remember that no matter the number of likes or followers, everyone has a different story to tell beyond the photos. Don’t be so quick to judge someone’s life by their ‘likes’.
Alexis Nieszczur is a PharmD student in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.