The Influence of Influencers

For the majority of people, the first thing they are met with in the morning isn’t their smiling partner or huge coffee, it’s their phone screen and the notifications from the night before. Whether these are from Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp, we are immediately thrown into a world of expectation in the morning. By that I mean, the expectation to check, judge, respond to and be influenced by everyone else’s movements and interactions.

I’m 24, so I think social media is great when it comes to sharing hilarious photos, setting up a business and keeping up to date with distant relatives. I’ve come to realise that the greatness of social media doesn’t extend much further beyond that. Instead of only seeing family on Instagram or learning new recipes, we are subjected to the rest of the bullshit that comes with scrolling for 5 minutes; detox tea, bikini photos in Winter, and 5 minute booty band workouts. I don’t know which one is worse, but I do recognise that all of these seemingly harmless things can have detrimental effects on our mental and physical health.

We know the effect of social media on young people and their body image (and I'll get to that in a second), but no one ever talks about the mums who haven’t worn swimmers for 5 years, or the dads who MUST wear a rash vest in the pool “because it’s bloody sunny”. More and more parents are being overwhelmed by guilt and embarrassment because their bodies don’t look like the 18 year old influencers they are seeing plastered all around them. I don’t have a solution for this, and I’m not going to tell you to log off all social media and check out from the world, but I will tell you that I recognise how hard some simple things may have become for parents, or anyone for that matter. I just want to say one thing to parents: Please, don't think the rest of the world thinks you should look like a teenager who hasn't hit puberty yet. We can't have everything we want in life, and sometimes just one thing has to be pushed to the side. If your one thing is a six pack, please just let it go. If you have a family, friends, and the means to enjoy your life, then leave the bloody thigh gap for when you're an empty nester. I promise 15 hours a week in the gym will seem silly when your kids no longer run in for morning cuddles.

Moving on, the young*er* generation... do I have a bone to pick to pick with you. What is it with feeling this incessant need to be slim? My personal thought is that if I can have a burger every now and then, at the expense of seeing my ribs... SOLD.

We were the unlucky ones, being brought up with phones and technology. Some of us were lucky enough to escape, and realise that our phones didn't fit the puzzle of living a happy life. Some other people got sucked into the vortex of Instagram, where it seemed like the only reason they were going out with friends was so they could take photos. If that was/is you, I'm not saying all of this to say I'm in anyway better. I'm saying it so you hopefully consider what truly makes you happy, and if it isn't posting a photo of your ass eating your bikini, then start taking steps to make a change. Everyone has reached the age now where surely you can understand that trying to live the life of an influencer isn't the way to live a life at all. So many people have tried diets, detox teas, booty band regimes and waist trainers, all because an underage/under-qualified teenager on Instagram told them to. If you wouldn't hire a 14 year old as a Dietitian, or Physiotherapist, stop letting them have such a big influence on you through a screen.

My heart breaks for people who scroll through Instagram and Facebook, and it triggers negative emotions. They see people who have different bodies, and it makes them wonder what they're doing wrong. They don't have the knowledge to understand that the girl who "took a perfect photo"; actually stood there for 45 minutes posing, went to the beach just to take photos, used 4 different apps to alter the photo, spent 2 hours coming up with a caption, and spent $200 on a new bikini so she didn't outfit repeat.

If you're wondering what my actual point is, I'm about to make it now. So hold onto your undies. My point is this: we spend so much time being influenced by prepubescent influencers that we are forgetting to lead happy and fulfilled lives. We are forgetting to enjoy what we have, and we are letting someone's constructed social media appearance impact what we do, and when we do it. Don't spend hours in the gym trying to look like someone you accidentally scrolled past... start exercising to create a healthier version of yourself. Don't cut calories to expose your hip bones, cut calories in the day to allow for HUGE delicious meals at night with friends. We need to remember that we only live once (yes I actually just said that), and once your body is decomposing or cremated, no one is going to say "it's such a shame, her Instagram grid was one of the best I'd seen".

Your coach & friend,

Maddy