How I look on Instagram
Instagram is a minefield, an interactive, addictive minefield of body insecurity. I post frequently on Instagram, mainly kid spam, pictures of my kids engaging with the world, travel shots and occasionally a picture of myself. I’m deliberately posting a few more shots of myself. I lost my mojo after having my third baby and am carrying a few more kilograms that I’d like. But, and it’s a big but (okay, pun kind of intended) I’m still in the healthy weight range. Only just, but I’m hanging on in there. Similarly, other body measurements such as waist circumference tell me that even though I don’t like the way that I look, I am still healthy. These measurements provide a useful yardstick agains unrealistic media expectations of how women should look.
I’m used to marketing images that promulgate an unrealistic body image ideal through air brushing and the like. What I hadn’t considered as I became more active on Instagram was that the interactiveness of Instagram would lead to a whole new kind of body insecurity. Each day I am joined by followers that superficially look like they are similarly inclined to me, but on closer inspection of their posts I can see that they are peddling some kind of weight loss product online – usually wraps (no evidence that these work for weight loss by the way). I understand that glamour mums will post stunning photos of themselves on Instagram and that if I compare myself to them I’ll feel gross – easy fix there I don’t follow the glamour mums. But the double phoniness of peddling dodgy weightless products by engaging and interacting on Instagram as just another child proud mum-kid spammer profoundly bothers me.
A few weeks ago the body insecurity via Instagram trend took a whole new turn. I was direct messaged by someone with the name “health” in their handle enquiring if I would like to work with them to promote a healthy lifestyle. Call me stupid but I assumed that they had somehow figured out my professional interest in obesity (I’ve published in the academic literature on the topic) and they were wanting to partner with me to peddle some weight loss product. I was wrong. They had seen photos of me on Instagram and wondered if I wanted to work with them to lose weight myself. I was upset. My immediate response was embarrassment – I really must look dreadful to be approached by someone personally that thinks I need to lose weight. Then I was angry. Presumably this person is reaching out individually to mothers on Instagram to garner them business in their own personal weight loss empire. So many of us, bodies altered by pregnancies and childrearing feel insecure about ourselves. What a shame it is that other mothers are using Instagram to harness this and make a profit in misguided attempts to become entrepreneurs. I quickly skedaddled miss health handle on her way however the unease lingered. Just how many mothers in the healthy weight range are being undermined like this? How many who would benefit from medically sound weight loss advice are turning to scientifically unproved methods for weight loss after being targeted on Instagram?
If you are overweight (have a body mass index above 25) then losing weight is good for your health. A first point of contact if you’d like to lose weight is your GP. They have all kinds of useful info about weight loss to help you on your journey. I’m going to suggest that anyone contacting you via Instagram trying to shame you into buying something from them in order to lose weight (no matter how high your BMI) is down right dodgy. Unfollow them immediately.
If you are partial to a bit of kid spam, travel photos and the occasional un-photoshopped photo of a mum that wished she still looked 20 then you can follow me on Instagram at @bubsonthemove
