Category: Social Media

Selena Gomez

SELEN GOMEZ

“At one point Instagram became my whole world, and it was really dangerous. In my early 20s, I felt like I wasn’t pretty enough. There was a whole period in my life when I thought I needed makeup and never wanted to be seen without it. The older I got, the more I evolved and realized that I needed to take control of what I was feeling. I wanted to be able to look in the mirror and feel confident to be who I am. Taking a break from social media was the best decision that I’ve ever made for my mental health. I created a system where I still don’t have my passwords. And the unnecessary hate and comparisons went away once I put my phone down. I’ll have a much better relationship with myself. I’m a big believer in therapy, and I always feel so confident when I’m taking care of myself. If I’m not in the best headspace and my friends invite me out, I won’t go. I’ve lost my sense of FOMO, which I’m proud of. Sometimes I push myself too much, and it catches up to me. But I try to balance out everything as best as I can. I like to be there for my friends and celebrate everyone. But I have to make sure that I’m OK, you know? Because if I’m not OK, I can’t be OK for other people. Changing the narrative of mental health and creating a curriculum that hopefully can be implemented in schools or a system for resources that are easily available. I’m just so passionate about that, and I think I will continue to be for the rest of my life. Especially since the pandemic, there are so many people I know who craved help but had no idea how to get it. I have big aspirations for that field and really want to implement more education behind it.” InSTYLE 

Zendaya

ZENDAYA quite in InSTYLE Magazine

“A lot of young people feel like the system has never worked for them, so why should they even bother? If there is anything positive that has come out of this time, it’s that I feel a little bit of hope too. There are changes happening. I’m so inspired by my peers and their commitment. My niece is going into high school, and when I see her Instagram posts and the things she’s talking about, it’s really special. She is only 15, and we can have a dialogue about what’s happening. So clearly there is hope in the youth. That makes me want to keep going. And more than anything, I just want to tell people that your voice does matter. The little things do matter. And continue to use your emotions. They are sometimes considered a weakness, but in this time they are very powerful.”

Winnie Harlow

WINNIE HARLOW

Harlow was bullied and tormented by classmates over her appearance.

“Growing up, I never saw anyone like me on TV, billboards or on the runways. I felt like I was the only person in the world like me.”

Things began to shift in her teens when a friend, journalist Shannon Boodram, encouraged her to pursue modeling.

“She used to photograph me a lot, but I never took it seriously. The more I did it, the more of a following I gained on social media. I was getting a lot of love and support and people telling me that I inspired them. So I was like, ‘If doing this thing that’s just fun for me is inspiring people, then it’s a win-win.” People Magazine

Selena Gomez

SELENA GOMEZ

“After years of going through a lot of different things, I realized that I was bipolar. I wanted to know everything about it and it took the fear away. I have always had so many different emotions and I didn’t know how to control them quite well. It was complicated. But I think I’m happy to understand it. Once I did find out more about who I was, I was proud. I also felt comfortable knowing that I wasn’t alone, and I was going to get through it. So I will always be passionate about that. It’s something I will continue to talk about.”

To create a healthier headspace, Selena limits her media intake. She doesn’t read comments, she doesn’t post on TikTok, and she definitely does not google herself.

“Oh, God! I haven’t done that in years, I honestly can’t. I’m strong in a lot of ways, but I think I just have way too much of a sensitive heart.” ALLURE

Sascha Nastasi

SASCHA NASTASI

“My 2021 New year’s resolution is to try to use my phone less. I’ve noticed that when I’m feeling awkward or uncomfortable, I’ll gravitate toward my phone. But I want to get better about being present with that feeling and not just using tech to numb out. When I was 11, I developed OCD symptoms. I used to try to hide it from my friends or pretend it was part of a game. As I got older, I realized that it’s just part of who I am. There’s no shame in telling your story, but remember that you don’t owe an explanation to anyone if you don’t feel comfortable.” GL

Jenna Ortega

JENNA ORTEGA

“If I could delete social media, I would. You’ve got to be able to manage the impact that it’s having on you and realize how much time you’re spending on it or what it’s done to your brain because it’s scary how addictive it can be. I just want to be a well-rounded human and learn as much as I can about the world around me so that, possibly, I can contribute my voice or help create some change in areas of the world that need it. I never want my life to be appearance based. I truly want it to be just feeling-based. I think getting older will be less and less about trying to look a certain way and more about what makes me happy at the end of the day. I want to feel like I’m taking care of my body and giving it what it needs. Learning to give myself a break and relax, that’s what I need to learn how to do. How to stop thinking so much about what I look like at times because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. That’s not what life should ever be about. We’re on this planet for such a small blip of time and I just want to make sure it’s a good time at that.” allure