How Did Instagram Become Your Job?

What does being an influencer mean? What are we influencing? - These questions have plagued me for the past few years. An ultimately one-dimensional, vain, consumerist cog in the capitalist machine has always been at odds with who I am. I was SO excited when a group of friends and I got together to #LoopForGood—no giveaways, no gimmicks, just an opportunity to break down that invisible partition between us and our followers and get real. TY for passing the baton to me. - For #MentalHealthAwareness Month, I want to tell you a little about me. I was suicidal for years. I sliced open my arms and pulled out my hair and scratched myself in efforts to blur out the emotional pain with the physical. Every time my skin opened up, a little tension released. But it was only temporary, and the cycle would continue, and I'd fall further into darkness. My family and I were held captive by some bad people—it's a little hard to explain in such a short blurb but more will come out soon, I promise. I was constantly told I was hideous and a waste of space. I was terribly abused in every way and was kept shut in a dark room when not in school. My social and emotional intelligence were severely stunted well into young adulthood. - This is just tip of the iceberg, but I want you to know we've all felt the same sadness. It's strange how mental illness is the great equalizer, isn't it? The glamorous trips, beautiful clothes, popular friends—those things don't define a person. Social media shows only the highlight reel of everyone's lives. Please don't feel any lesser because of what you're seeing online—comparison will kill you. What I hope to achieve with this #LoopForGood project is moments of vulnerability to stop setting influencers on some unreachable pedestal, and for influencers to be more real with their followers and not be incessantly posi vibes. Real life isn't always positive. It's helpful for everyone to remember that we can relate to one another, esp with our mental health. It takes a village to get through this life, and we are not alone. - Passing it along to for his story—all thanks to him for creating this project ❤ #giveaFC #feraldiary

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Source: Refinery29.com

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Keywords:

Instagram • Consumerism • Center of mass • Capitalism • Get Real (U.S. TV series) • I Want to Tell You • Skin • Emotional intelligence • Mental disorder • The Equalizer (TV series) • Beauty • Popular culture • Social media • It Takes a Village • Psychiatric survivors movement •