We all have an appreciation for pretty photos, witty catchlines, and fashionable posts. I personally love following decor companies and bakeries (despite my disinterest in baking). I also follow makeup artists and talented photographers, and of course, friends and family. But sometimes, I go on an “unfollowing” spree. I do this a few times a year, and honestly, I think we all should do the same. Here are some of the reasons why I hit “unfollow”.
1. What was once creative inspiration has now become a dig into my self confidence.
I used to follow them for makeup and fashion inspiration. But, the beautiful instagram models who are done up with lashes, luscious lips and perfect wings won’t tell you the truth. They won’t tell you they filtered and face-tuned their pictures. They won’t tell you they have lip fillers or a nose job. They won’t tell you they’re being sponsored to wear what they're wearing. All you will see is what you don't have. And while we think it doesn’t matter, seeing what you don’t have, can’t have and (in my case as a hijabi) can’t display, does a number on your self-esteem.
Get this, a woman has an average of 13 negative thoughts about herself per day. Comparison truly is the thief of joy and these images do seep into your subconscious. If you find yourself thinking “I wish I looked like that,” a simple click is all it takes to bring you back to loving what God gave you.
2.) The memes aren’t worth it
I love a good meme, who doesn’t. But, I’ve noticed many meme accounts will post things that any Muslim should find distasteful. Let me be clear: I find the American culture's obsession with sex appalling and animalistic. I’m not a prude, I call it being classy. So I don’t find raunchy jokes funny and I don’t like to normalize hypersexuality. Memes are the comic of our decade; they are meant to normalize. So, ask yourself this basic question, if you handed your phone to someone you respect (your dad, teacher, boss), would you be comfortable if they saw that kind of stuff on your instagram? Even though I didn’t follow meme accounts with the intention of viewing distasteful memes, I was ashamed to ever see it on my timeline. So, I hit unfollow.
3.) I’m not trying to give you the evil eye
This is the more controversial of the three, but it's time we have an honest conversation with ourselves. I can point to one situation where this was a genuine concern for me. Several years ago, I had met a woman a few years younger than me. From the moment I met her, I could tell there was that confidence that hid deep insecurity. And it showed on her facebook and instagram. Her posts were constantly a display of how “fabulous” her life was, public for strangers to view. She’d brag about these same things in public as well. I wasn’t the only person who noticed this pattern.
Eventually the thought occured… what if I or anyone else, accidentally gave her 3yn (the evil eye)? The existence of the evil eye is affirmed by the prophet Muhammad (saw) in several hadith and in the Quran itself. It is essentially harm that can affect a person’s blessings, be it their beauty, wealth, or even safety. Anyone can cast this on someone, even completely unintentionally. This is why we should be wary of over-displaying the blessings in our life, why we should make it a habit to make duaa for a person whose blessings we see and why we should constantly ask Allah for protection. Surat nas, falaq and ikhlas are all protections that we should read at night.
I wanted no part in harming her, so I make duaa for her and hit unfollow. And SubhanAllah, when the prophet said “the evil eye is haqq (true),” he meant it, because the same blessings this girl displayed on social media became the ones that constricted and choked her, some even coming to an abrupt end. And because so many were tuned into her posts, they also noticed when things took a turn. Thus, her private life became public, like her instagram account. Please, I don’t like to scare anyone, but be mindful of protecting yourself.
So there you have it! These are some ways I construct my social media into a healthy space free of what might be damaging to me mentally and spiritually. I bet we all can use a good purge of our accounts, so hopefully this post is helpful in that. There are more reasons so I’ll put out a part II of this post, in sha Allah.
H. Al.
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