Under the Influence: New Motherhood and ‘Instamum’ Anxieties
Instagram is inspirational. It’s where we are all #livingourbestlife and #blessed. We long known it doesn’t present a realistic picture of…
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Great article! Definitely feeling a shift now people using Instagram less, calling out BS more. I feel a total mug for being swept along too before we knew it was all #AD
As new mums we’re on our own a lot and want to feel like want to belong to something, so we buy the MOTHER T-shirt and Tiba and marl bag (which by the way are cheaply made and fall apart NOT worth over £100) and use Kokoso coconut Oil £9 a tub..it was was as always all about money, selling us something. It was like we were under a spell but I think it’s because we trusted them. It was all fun and new and jokes and then they became saleswomen.
As new mums we’re on our own a lot and want to feel like want to belong to something, so we buy the MOTHER T-shirt and Tiba and marl bag (which by the way are cheaply made and fall apart NOT worth over £100) and use Kokoso coconut Oil £9 a tub..it was was as always all about money, selling us something. It was like we were under a spell but I think it’s because we trusted them. It was all fun and new and jokes and then they became saleswomen.
I know mother pukka was looking for people who'd been influenced so if someone could point her in the direction of this blog that'd be great
Yeah. It's changed. Please do comment under the blog too! It's important that people speak out. Otherwise lone voices get labelled as jealous haters
during early 2017 i was on mat leave with my second baby. I was totally influenced. bought loads of crap i thought i needed. was on amazon prime all the time. Bought leggings that cost about £15 from small independent companies. The penny dropped for me quite quickly luckily but i bet others weren't so luck. Its all so much more transparent now, and totally back fires with me, i rarely buy anything the floggers advertise
I just posted this on the Instagram anxiety thread but thought it worth reposting here. After being sucked into Instagram and instamums after my second baby, I found myself at one point querying with myself about design choices in my own home as if others would then be able to see my house and therefore judge my style. I mean, WTAF - I don’t even share my interiors on Instagram so who even cares what colour my walls are or what rug I have?! It was at that point I realised I’d actually gone mad, and I think it coincided with finding the mumsnet threads and, thankfully, Tattle. I swiftly unfollowed all the professional interiors salespeople, and a hefty chunk of the instamum arseholes, and am now pretty quick with the unfollow button if I realise they are making me feel more shit than entertained. BUT, when you are in the throes of vulnerability, be it being a new mum, mental health issues, feeling a bit shit about your wages, job, house etc. Instagram is a very dangerous place for spiralling into life anxiety (and, if it really takes hold, credit card debt). I too bought clothing, baby items and homewares based on stuff I was constantly being shown, and my brain was just ‘I need that, if I buy that it’ll improve this, that’ll look good, look how good it looks in their house...’ and so on - it really was like a temporary madness and obviously super powerful advertising!
I've been having a nosey around Tattle and just signed up to say Omg your article hit home for me. The title even 'influenced' my username hope u don't mind! But thank u because you're saying what I was feeling and I thought I was a loser for having bought stuff because I saw it on Instagram and for trying to live my life like some of the women on there when I had PND. I don't have their body or house and wages and that's ok but it's been a real struggle to get here and now I avoid certain accounts like the plague.
I'm sorry you went through that experience. PND is awful and I hope you're feeling better now. Glad the article helped you see you weren't a loser. Please do share it if you can as I'd love more women to see they aren't alone in this.