sorry I didn't post last wednesday! I went to the hospital for a herniated disk and have been recovering!! here is a little rant that I thought might resonate with some people.
I truly understand your feelings and they are super valid. Thank you for sharing your experience and how it is for you. Even if you don't think so, you are an amazing content creator and a HUGE inspiration. I'll be supporting you all the way! As will many others!
I remember in the mid 2010's that there was a survey talking about how the rise of social media was causing a spike in insecurity among the general audience, especially among teenage girls. Our brains are simply not equipped to comprehend the internet's true scale. When you're only ever built to be able to keep track of 100 or so people, seeing a thousand likes on something is a cognative high that has no "real world" equivalent, for lack of better phrasing. So when you what is now three generations (arguably four with Gen X) growing up in a space that is actively hostile to them logistically, no shit you'll get a rampant surge of self esteem issues. And for many people, the answer is to beautify their life. Make it a fantastical, idealized version of itself. But not only does that rarely work, but it perpetuates the problem. Passes one person's insecurity off onto another without actually dispelling it. I think its why people are craving authenticity. Because we live in a world that encourages us to lie about who we really are. So when someone is actually genuine for once, its highly attractive. And in my experience, you get something far stronger than being liked. You earn respect. And while respect is often an invisible reward, if you learn how to identify it then it can become a backup generator for at least coping with whatever self image problems someone is dealing with. So thank you for being authentic.
