The Storm
March 12, 2021
Kintsugi
April 13, 2021

Envy Machine

‘I’ve never felt negatively about my body in the past, but now I feel guilt or disgust whenever I eat something I shouldn’t. I made a mistake of measuring my waist to buy a pair of jeans online, and that made me feel even worse.’ —L, College student. Taken from Instagram account, @moodlesofficial

Body image issues are becoming increasingly common amongst the youth of today, especially with the escalating and widespread usage of social media platforms. Platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok perpetuate almost unattainable beauty standards, and capitalise on the insecurities of teenagers and young adults to get them to buy more products.

Young people are constantly comparing themselves to others on social media, and never feel good enough. For them, good enough is a thing of the past, as targeted ads will tell you that there is always more to get, more the achieve, more to spend, and more to do. Companies pay companies to buy other people’s envy and insecurities, and in the end what is left is an entire generation built on self-doubt, self-recrimination, and self-pity.

At some point in of our lives, we may feel we lack something. That is the reality of things. Amidst such feelings of inadequacy, let us remind ourselves that we are good enough. Good enough to deserve happiness, good enough to deserve love, good enough to receive kindness. ‘To be good enough, is good enough.’ Let’s tell ourselves that.

Ivan Huang
Admin Intern

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