I want to start this video by saying that I think social media is an amazing technology
and a solid way to connect with random people across the globe. I think people
take for granted how lucky we are to be able to experience the power of what apps such as
Instagram, Facebook, or even YouTube allow us to do: Connect with anyone, anywhere,
at any time. However, while social media is indeed a great technology, it’s still
an illusion. There are those of us that can see right though this illusion, and there are those
that fall right into its trap. Depending on how one uses social media, it can either make
or break their love for themself. There is a right way to use it, and a wrong way to use it,
and I want to use the episode “The Hobbit” from South Park to give my take on the matter.
This episode is focused on this character named Wendy who, throughout the story,
debates against the use of photoshop for images on social media, and is convinced that everyone
should accept themselves for who they are. Which is awesome. Go Wendy, right? Yeah, not really.
She speaks a lot of facts in this episode, sure, however, as the story progresses, she becomes
more, and more judgemental. Which is funny because at the beginning of the story, she sticks up for
her friend after being rejected for being too fat, and then calls Butters out for his judgement.
You see, I would be on Wendy’s side in this episode, but the only issue is, she’s a hypocrite,
which we all are in our own special ways, but this is an important point that many of
us fail to realize. She claims it’s wrong to judge people for their imperfections,
but then criticizes famous celebrities for using apps like photoshop to make themselves appear more
perfect than they actually are.
Before the trolls comment, “but made2 she actually does look like that in real life ha ha” please try and see where I’m coming from with this next point.
This is one of the more difficult topics for me to talk about because there are both respectable
qualities, and problems for both arguments. On one hand, you could argue people shouldn’t
upload this fake version of themselves for social media validation, and they should
love themselves the way they are, but on the other hand, you could say, using photoshop,
and strategically designing your profile on social media to fit society’s standards is still a form
of artistic expression in itself. The question that I want to focus on for this video is,
is it okay to be fake? Well in my opinion, it depends. For instance, I could use the artistic
expression argument as an excuse to cover up the fact that I lack self-love. Think about it, why
would I need photoshop, and why would I need to upload pictures of myself that aren’t necessarily
authentic on social media if I love myself as I am? At that point, I’m just seeking validation,
I am in denial about how I look in real life, and want to avoid that truth.
However, I think there is a major misconception about what is, or what is not self-love. This
idea that it’s wrong to wear makeup, it’s wrong to put on jewelry, it’s wrong to put on clothing
that makes us feel good about ourselves, and it’s even wrong to upload certain types of pictures or
videos that we genuinely want to share with the world is all absolute nonsense. I think that’s why
people refrain from expressing that creative side of themselves, with fear that, "it isn’t authentic
enough." which is a legitimate concern, but that’s not the point. The point is, how do YOU want to
express YOURSELF to the world? For instance, the way I express myself might be different compared
to the way the average person does, so that’s why it can come off as a shock to some people.
There are those who might say, “why aren’t you expressing yourself this way, or that way" or they
might not understand your artistic decisions, but that doesn’t necessarily make you wrong.
How someone chooses to express themself is THEIR choice, and must be respected, even if some of us
might not understand it, and that’s what Wendy fails to realize in this episode. I feel her pain
though, because I’ve been there. There have been moments in my life where I felt like everyone is
fake, and the world is fake, but what I had to realize is imagining or living your dream life
is not fake, it’s a form of real, authentic expression. And as long as the self-love is there,
there’s nothing wrong with that. Wendy is right about this though: People SHOULD love themselves
as they currently are in real life, but this isn’t to be confused with refusing to work
on oneself. Self-love also applies to taking care of our bodies, eating the right foods,
staying away from addictions that don’t serve us, and getting enough exercise as examples.
Another character that I can relate to in this episode is Butters. He wants the perfect woman,
with perfect skin, and no scars, but he’s not even that himself. There was a time in
my life where I wanted the ultimate girlfriend with a list of impossible physical features
that I didn’t even have myself. Over time I noticed not only were my standards way too high,
but my self love was lacking. Soon after, I started looking into the mirror more,
literally for hours, to humble myself a bit. What I discovered was
the longer I looked myself in the mirror, the more I started to love myself completely even with all
my so-called “imperfections''. But it wasn’t just about accepting the physical aspects of myself,
but it also was about accepting who I was on the inside. The fact that I was able to, and still am
able to sit with myself for that long shows that I can be there for myself even if nobody else is.
By doing this more I slowly started to realize the human body is nothing more than a mask.
Looks are great and all, but what matters more than anything else is one’s personality.
It’s a powerful exercise that I highly recommend trying out. It’s something that
not only Butters needs to do, but pretty much everyone in this episode needs to do,
look themselves in the damn mirror. What they will find is that there is beauty in imperfection.
All the scars, the blemishes, the zits that we develop over the course of our lifetimes is
what makes us human, and to me, there is something beautiful about that. Those people out there that
disagree with that statement, weren't meant to be in our lives anyway. The validation that we crave
from others is already inside of us, we just have to be willing to give ourselves a chance.