Like many people, I am enchanted by Pinterest. I frequent my boards to find recipes and activities for my children. I have found useful ideas for gardening and for my home. I enjoy looking at what friends and strangers alike have pinned and add their pins to my collection.
Last night, though, as I browsed through the various pictures and captions I found myself both laughing and sighing. I eventually shut it down. There is just so much “seeking” out there and not enough “finding”. So much “appearing” and not enough “being”. While I love seeing the great ideas people are pinning for themselves, their homes and their families, I can’t help but wonder how true they are being to themselves. It seems that for all the good it is to make goals to improve ourselves, there are times when it is easy for us to slip into “pinning” ourselves onto a board of public appearance — knowing that so much of the public will see what an awesome mother we would be if pin certain things, what a great homemaker we would be, how fashionable we are, or what great vacations we want to take.
It bothers me that clicking on a recipe for a natural face mask will take me to a blog that is entitled Hoping to be Made Beautiful*. I want to hug that woman and tell her, “You have always been made beautiful.” Seeing outrageously thin women as “motivation” for exercise and dieting illustrates the inundation of unrealism that permeates the atmosphere. Mothers who endlessly pin “fun mom” activities on “Do with kids” boards probably exhaust themselves before the activities begin. You can’t pin time — which is what matters most to kids. Perfect birthday parties, perfect weddings, baby showers, gender reveal parties (gag), perfect homes, perfect outfits…
Perfection cannot be pinned because perfection does not exist. A person can not pin his or her way to happiness because happiness is self-created and experienced.
Will I quit Pinterest? Of course not. I have pinned valuable things from it. I have unpinned several things, as well.
*not the actual blog title. obviously.
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I took awhile to come around to Pinterest. When I go there, it’s specifically with this mindset “Once in awhile my brain needs a break or to be jogged, and I’ve got 10 minutes. I’m gonna browse Pinterest. Why? Because I like looking at pretty or fun or funny things once in awhile. But that’s it.” I’ve got titles like Kid Fun or House Fabulous for some boards orr Beauty Looks but mostly because I find these things lovely, inspiring, or fun but not necessarily because I see them, sigh, and think “Oh HOW MUCH MORE PERFECT WOULD MY LIFE BE !?!?!?!?!” Several of my friends suffer from the Pinterest affliction of “If I styled a pair of cute red jeans like THAT pin, I would suddenly be tres jolie & chic!!!” They are always disappointed Sometimes I find a bit of inspiration. Sometimes, like I said, I just want some mindless amusement. Often the latter. I find it sad that we’re still in this culture of self perfection by any means possible.
It is such a culture of self-perfection, and it’s sad. Finding inspiration in all things is what makes us human. And it’s beautiful that we do! But we shouldn’t do it to the detriment of our self-esteems.
There are definitely pros and cons to social media. And that’s why I fear for the next generation born under it. You’re right, everyone has all the answers but nothing happens. The answers come too easily w/social media, but the work is too hard.
ha! i am so with you… more and more, this is the problem i am having with all social media… everyone has all the answers, everyone can fix me (or at least my soul), everyone knows how to fix the government, healthcare, the world. only none of it is actually happening.
You can’t pin time. Yes, that it is, exactly.
as mrs. mediocrity has often said, we’re not broke, we don’t need fixing. pinterest can feed that notion, as can many of the e-courses out there, and i admit it makes me a little crazy.
terrific post. 🙂
I completely agree. There is never nothing wrong to look to things for ideas and inspiration (that’s why we have artists like you and Mrs. Mediocrity). But we don’t need a fix-me nation. We need a I’ll fix-it nation.