Reader, perhaps you have not heard this app called Instagram — it’s something young people are quite into.
When I downloaded Instagram, my impressions of the app made me think it would be filled with aesthetic images of the people I followed and the occasional beauty tutorial. What I realized is that Instagram is truly what you make of it, so I followed things that I wouldn’t see in any of my other social media outlets: high fashion and landscape-hunting. I also started following a bunch of those celebrity-models (Kendall Jenner, the Hadid sisters, Hailey Baldwin), and while it hasn’t done much for my self-esteem, it has given me an interesting insight into their worlds.
So, reader, I’m going to give you a quick review of my Instagram experience thus far.
First, the landscape-hunting Instagram accounts. I follow two types. The first type is the accounts of actual people who travel around the world going to locations both absurd and breathtaking and photographing their travels. Those accounts have a certain unique aesthetic to each of them. The photographers vary on how personal they get. For me, the less personal, the better — I did not follow them to learn about their lives, but rather to stare at beautiful images of places around the world.
The other type is accounts that procure pictures from all corners of the internet and post them on their account (with permission, of course). These accounts have less of a consistent aesthetic but tend to showcase a really diverse array of landscape photography — they feature everything from natural wonders to cityscapes and whatever is in between.
The biggest impact these accounts have had is continuously reigniting my want to travel and giving me ideas of places I want to go. Other than that, I just find it pleasing to bask in the glory of wonderful places around the globe, as seen through the eyes of an Instagrammer.
Now, reader, we move to the fashion content. Once again, I follow two types of Instagram accounts here. The first type is the fashion brand accounts. Brands like Versace and Yves Saint Laurent have their own Instagram accounts, each one glamorous and representative of the Haus of Fashion, while others follow different fashion weeks around the world and post pictures of the runway couture and the collections that designers are presenting each season.
These accounts give me strong “Devil Wears Prada” vibes, where I get a view into the exclusive world of high fashion, which I have no clue how to interpret. But I nevertheless enjoy looking at what’s new, what’s trending, and then seeing how those innovative ideas are incorporated into general fashion later.
The other type is following models around as they walk in shows, promote brands, attend red carpet events, and generally be fabulous. These accounts are obviously heavily edited and monitored — nothing off-brand goes up, even if they’re trying to go for the “I just posted this because I’m feeling like it” mood. I like seeing the different outfits they all wear for all types of occasions, and I like sneak peeks into the shows and photoshoots that they do. It’s like I’m their weirdo friend who follows them around everywhere.
Overall my Instagram experience has been a positive one. Whether I change what I look at or even keep the app is up in the air. But to anyone who says Instagram is useless — that is simply not true. It is what you make of it, just like almost everything else in this crazy thing we call life.
