Summer Break doesn’t hit home the way it did when I was enrolled in school. It’s basically more of the same, plus the heat and being jealous of everyone’s vacation photos. So, this year for the summer, I tried to take a break from social media or at least spend less of my time making and consuming content there. And not being overwhelmed with my statistics or follow numbers. It was a tough break to have. And by this time in August, I am completely over summer heat, summer activities, and summer style.
Instagram is a highlight reel. If you haven’t heard that before it just means what is being posted is all the highlights of one’s life. The good photos of the outfits, carefully curated images, and captions to portray a particular way of life. Even though I know it is a highlight reel, and even though I work hard to be authentic on the platform, I still wonder if people want to see or read about this or that.
Do people care about my dog and him being afflicted with Old Dog Syndrome? Am I going to lose followers for talking about him and how worried I am about him instead of my outfit or some random Plastic-Free July tip?
Do I have to take a photo of my outfit today? Cause honestly, I’m struggling with how I perceive my body lately and it takes a lot of mental energy to post that picture.
This summer, I’ve basically been consuming content on IG from my favorite singer/songwriter, my celebrity crush, and endless Marvel Fan theories about everything from Loki to Black Widow and the potential of the Multiverse. (Get excited y’all it is going to be madness! And no you are never too old for a celebrity crush.)
I learned I am picking up my phone to check and see if there are any updates to my feed constantly. And in an unhealthy way. So, I stopped picking up my phone for mundane things like looking at the time. Instead, I started wearing an analog watch and it seriously helped me cut down on how often I reached for my phone. Mine was a gift for my college graduation, years ago and I’m actually loving wearing it!
Another thing I learned from my summer break, was that there are some people on social media I follow because I feel like as an Ethical Fashion Blogger/Stylist I SHOULD follow them but I really don’t enjoy it. Yes, we are all doing our part but some folks just aren’t my type, and others I just don’t care for their personalities. I’m sure they are lovely people and I am glad they use their platform for good but golly they are exhausting. So, I learned to not feel guilty when hitting that unfollow button. And I encourage you to do the same!
I fell in love with Instagram almost 10 years ago because it was a photo platform, where I could share and see others’ photos. So the announcement they made this summer about IG being a “video” platform really turned me off. People want to consume content constantly and it needs to be new each time. It takes a significant amount of time to create a great photo post, and in my case it takes 10x as long to create video content.
Moving into the fall, I think I’ll continue to post to my grid as much as I have over the summer months. But I do hope to create more IG Stories and Reels when necessary! Bare with me my reels content creation is rough!
Stylishly Shelby 
Good blog, yes we always care about Asher 🙂 we love him….
You post are always fresh and honest and I appreciate your opinion should ( even though I may not always understand) 🙂
You always just have to be yourself , you have a great blog and I appreciate it.
You should tips for guys sometimes…. that way the women that read your blog can help their men stay up to date.