HEALTH

Your Bod

5 reasons why you shouldn't go to social media for body advice

As much as we *love* social media, sometimes we have to step back and take the rose-tinted glasses off. It's super fun to catch up with our fave celebs, drool over dreamy vacays and post pretty pics of ourselves. Buuut, it can also be super harmful to our well-beings if we're constantly scrolling through images of PERFECTION.  Ever seen a celeb post a pic on their feed of themselves holding a bag of detox tea or wearing a waist trainer? (Sponsored post.) Or not wearing make up? (But still using a few select filters.) It's easy to forget all the steps it took to get that picture up and technology is making it harder for us to detect what's real and what's not so real. That's why we've rounded up the five biggest social media offenders so the next time you're scrolling through your feed, you can take a deep breath and remember: what you see is only the half of it.

1. Advertisers pay influencers to take pictures with their product
We love seeing our fave celebs and influencers post pictures of new products they're trying. However, most of them get paid to post the companies products on their personal social media accounts, so we can't be too sure if what they are saying about the product is true. When someone is getting paid to talk about a product, they'll typically write #ad or #sponsoredpost under the caption, just to keep their viewers aware. What *seems* to work for them may not work for you, so take posts like this lightly and do your own research! 

2. Detox teas and waist trainers are not the only thing making them skinny
We don't know if our faves are *really* drinking the teas when they pose next to them, but we do know that many of them have enough money to hire a personal trainer or a personal chef to make healthy meals. Some of our #bodygoals are unrealistic because they take more than just tea and waist trainers to reach them. Love your body for where it's at and work towards your goals of being healthy at any size!

3. Social media only shows the highlight reel
Nowadays Instagram profiles consist of beautiful photos with the perfect scenery and Insta-worthy food only. We don't always see the nitty gritty work and long nights it took for our fave celebs to get there. No need to compare your life to theirs, they still wake up with morning breath and messy hair!

4. Filters exist
Photoshop has been around for years, nipping and tucking away "problematic" areas with a click of a mouse. Now, we have filters that can add eyelashes and makeup to our selfies. Don't depend on filters too much. Embrace your completely natural beauty and understand that makeup *enhances* your features—it doesn't define them.

5. You are one of a kind
We are all created differently. Everything about each of us is unique and can't possibly work in a one-size-fits-all system. Enjoy the way your bod looks now, stay healthy and keep it our of harms way!

How are you combating social media fads? Tell us in the comments!

We want to hear from you! Send us your weirdest body questions here (seriously, we'll answer anything!) and it just might get featured.

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by Toyin Akinwande | 4/19/2018
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