Featured July 18, 2019
Alexa, play "Nothing But Trouble" by Lil Wayne and Charlie Puth.
Social media is taking over. With so many beautiful women all over the internet, how can you not help but compare yourself to them? India Batson knows first-hand what this feels like, and she has some words of advice for us all.
We’ve all been there before. You’re scrolling through Instagram and land on a swimsuit model’s photo, wishing you had her body. According to a study, “the unrealistic expectations set by social media may leave young people with feelings of self- consciousness, low self-esteem and the pursuit of perfectionism which can manifest as anxiety disorders.” (Emphasis on the unrealistic expectations.)
Most of these photos are just that, photos. It is a carefully thought out photo shoot for the sole purpose of “looking pretty” on an Instagram feed. With an overwhelming number of apps like FaceTune and Photoshop, how do we even know what is real anymore?
Because this has become a trending topic, there are actually Instagram accounts exposing those who heavily edit their photos. These accounts are solely dedicated to showing the before and after of these edited pictures posted.
When you catch yourself feeling jealous of something you see on social media, remind yourself it’s probably not real!
If you are passionate about wavy hair and are well versed in the curly girl method, then you may have heard of the wavy haired influencer, India Batson. With over 200,000 subscribers on YouTube, and 59,000 followers on Instagram, India has created a social media family. On both platforms, she shares tips and tricks on caring for your wavy or curly hair. But that’s not all!
India has made it a point to share more “real” content with her followers and we’re here for it! She posts many raw, unedited images similar to the photo below, to remind people to embrace their imperfections. Isn’t it refreshing to see someone be so open about their insecurities?
India also continues to spread these empowering vibes to her YouTube subscribers as well. On her channel she has a series called “Girl Talk.” In these videos, she goes into deeper, more personal topics. She refers to these videos as “starting discussions that matter.” They range from waiting until marriage to have sex, to her most recent one titled “These Instagram Models ARE NOT Real.” In this video, she sits bare-faced in front of the camera and has a real discussion with her subscribers.
India looks through Instagram accounts like @celebface and tells her audience how she really feels. She concludes, “I just feel like the thing I’m seeing across the board here is that these women look more radiant, more beautiful, more human and real and raw and fabulous in all the before [pictures].”
She also openly admits that she is guilty of using FaceTune, but she challenges herself to stop. India tells her followers that “lighting is everything” when taking her Instagram photos. So next time you’re having a photo op, remember these key things: lighting and finding the right angles.
I had the pleasure of interviewing India, to get more of her personal thoughts on such an important topic. Here’s what she has to say:
On your YouTube Channel, you have a series called “Girl Talk” with different videos talking about more personal topics. What inspired you to start making that content instead of sticking to your normal hair care videos?
While helping men and women on their journey to love their natural hair is so very important to me, I want to dive into topics many need guidance on but there are not as many YouTubers willing to speak on. Speaking on topics like sex, body confidence, birth control, religion etc. in a wholesome way young girls can process, is lacking from the YouTube community in my opinion.
I noticed you post a lot about embracing your imperfections. When was the moment you realized it was important to show your followers not to conform to society’s definition of beauty?
I receive hundreds of messages daily from women all around the world telling me how “perfect” I am. Anyone who knows me personally, knows I’m far from perfection. I realized the influence I had and didn’t want to perpetuate the illusion of social media. So I choose to post pictures with stretch marks and frizzy hair, because that’s real life.
As someone who is constantly surrounded by so many influencers, do you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to others? How do you deal with that?
Absolutely. It’s so embarrassing to admit 🙈 but yes, I am human and I notice when other influencers grow faster than me and often feel empowered when I grow past influencers in numbers. I am not proud to admit this. It’s something I’ve worked on and learned that everyone has their time to shine. There’s enough room in this industry for everyone to grow and prosper and it’s best when we all work together as women to grow! Collabs are the best for this very reason.
What do you think influencers can do to start encouraging and inspiring their followers and others to be more real on Instagram?
Stop only posting pictures of perfection. Taylor hill (Victoria’s Secret model) posted an image of her struggling with acne and guess what.. she still looked beautiful, acne and all. The impact that has on women struggling with acne to see someone they look up to struggling with the same thing they battle everyday can make a world of difference and change their perspective. If an influencer struggles with body confidence share about it. If they struggle with problematic skin, show it!
What advice do you have for anyone who is struggling with their own insecurities?
Know that you are not alone. Every single individual on this earth has something they feel inadequate in, except maybe Beyoncé. Even that actress, singer or influencer you are thinking is pure perfection and you would kill to look like, she looks in the mirror at the end of the day and is just like you and me.
So, remember ladies and gents; as perfect as you think people may look, everyone has insecurities. It is so important to stress what we see on Instagram is NOT always 100% real. It’s not worth comparing ourselves to something that doesn’t even exist!
