TW: Imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome affects everyone, especially in competitive fields such as consulting, auditing, law, journalism and other sectors. However, for women imposter syndrome isn’t just within a career, it occurs within friendship groups, our looks/ makeup and academic studies: arguably within every aspect of our lives.
Although, it seems sad, for many women this imposter syndrome originates from social media platforms. It cannot be denied that social media has a big influence on women. Although there are male influences, women influencers make up 84% of Instagram, showing who the main audience is: us. Women are daily bombarded with stunning women in idealistic bodies, bodies that few of us can achieve with ease or on our student budgets. Influencers post daily in the most fashionable clothes in the best locations. Although, unlikely to mean to be harmful, it is negatively impactful. When I come off Instagram, I rarely feel good about myself, either my clothes aren’t fashionable enough, my hair is too frizzy, my stomach is too fat and, worst of all, I feel like a fake woman, like I am not good enough because I don’t have the typical ‘Instagram’ life. These women, some who go to Oxford or simply got lucky on a reality TV show, always look perfect and are successful in their career: both of which I am not. As someone who did not receive an offer from my summer internships and has dealt with acne, scaring conditions and mental illness, their life seems so far away from mine. Therefore, I feel like I am letting the female population down. Maybe that is just my competitive nature. But when I see thousands of influencers making almost a million pounds a year, and classmates stories of them constantly going out but still getting firsts (yes you who posts the first knowing some people got 2:2 on that module), I feel like I shouldn’t be at a Russell group university, that I am less female.
The imposter syndrome also goes to female friendship groups who are always happy. So far, within my life I have only found a few good female friends, being bullied even into university (God I sound either like a pick me girl or a Sally Rooney book). Even with my good friends, I don’t get pictures like I see online, or go abroad on holidays and therefore, feel inferior compared to other friendship groups. Or I feel like my friends aren’t as close to me, due to this lack of social media presence, or because we spend less time together and don’t go out to eat every weekend, we somehow aren’t the correct type of friends.
Maybe this is just me, but I feel like there are so many areas of life women can feel imposter syndrome, with the root cause being women’s love of social media, probably rooted in our blood (after all, mothers are keeping Facebook alive). Women love to share their life, without realising its destructive impact on others. Maybe we are all the cause, after all, someone may look at my Instagram and be jealous of my life the same as I am hers. Further influencers are unlikely to be as happy as they appear, as for them, it is just a job. However, the imposter syndrome, the impact it can have on women, should not be dismissed.
I would say, try to a take a week off Instagram, only follow people who bring us joy, but even if I did, would you do it? I know I wouldn’t. Therefore, I feel like the most important thing we can do is assure ourselves we are enough, our life, our friends are enough, because each and every one of us is enough.
---- Anonymous, Guest Blogger
