Recently, I read an article about how photo editing affects individuals’ mental health, especially on social media. While the trend of creating "authentic content" has become the norm, they are covered by filters, photoshop, and everything in between.

We feel the need to make our social media feeds and ourselves "aesthetically pleasing" by adding VSCO filters and making ourselves look 10 lbs thinner. We feel pressured to make ourselves look the absolute best to grab the attention and please people we barely know or have never met.

The truth is many of us, including myself, don’t feel comfortable posting a picture of ourselves online without a filter or without touching it up. Our self-esteem and mental health is completely dependent on the way others view us on social media.

We NEED to change the way we view ourselves, others, and the social media culture of “Instagram aesthetic”. We are in need of social media transparency more than ever.

Starting today, I will be disclosing every picture of myself that I edit. I want to create complete transparency and not continue to cause the problem. Take care of yourself before you take care of your followers.