We Don’t Need “Your Day in the Life”

Image via @Unsplash

Ahhhh… TikTok. How we love you, and how we hate you. The app where everyone thinks they’re an influencer, or thinks they can be. And within the first 30 seconds of scrolling through the FYP, you’ll encounter the latest trend of unrealistic lives on social media, “A Day in the Life” and “What I Eat in a Day” videos.

In the trend, users, ranging from supermodel Bella Hadid to that random girl in your English class, show off their “typical” activities and diet in a day in order to share the methods to obtaining the “perfect” lifestyle. However, this trend only highlights the most productive and healthiest parts of their day, not the three-hour Netflix binge after dinner or the tub of ice cream that accompanied it. Maybe it is motivational for some to be “that girl” or maybe a “What I Eat in a Day” can help someone struggling with an ED see what healthy habits can look like. But, all those iced matchas and gym body checks sets unrealistic exceptions of what a “normal” and “healthy” person’s life should look like.

Every person defines “healthy” and “normal” differently, but constant videos that focus only on individuals with a very specific lifestyle (i.e. middle- to upper-class, White, and skinny) create a standard of living that prioritizes a life that only exists on social media. To those who struggle to get out of bed in the morning and walk to class, it’s okay. To those who eat Uncrustables for lunch and dining hall pizza for every dinner, that is also okay. Not to sound like a greeting card, but trying your best is enough. And being “your best” should never be defined by someone else’s standard of happiness or normalcy.

We don’t need to keep using social media as a way to compare the lives of others and judge or criticize the ones that don’t look post-worthy. Let’s just stick to cat videos, dumb rants, and stupid memes for entertainment instead.