17 Nov IS INSTAGRAM AN ONLY HAPPY PLACE?
When you scroll down the worries of the day and unwind via Instagram do you ever see bad news? When you compare with Twitter or even Facebook, Instagram is a cotton candy-land.
When American model Chrissy Teigen and her husband John Legend shared the bad news on Instagram, a whole new discussion has aroused. Chrissy, mom of two, was pregnant this year, which was one of the rare happy news of 2020, and she was diagnosed with partial placenta abruption. A medical issue she dealt with also in her previous pregnancies. As a very active Instagram user, Teigen shared her treatment journey and all the blood transfusions with her followers.
During the 20th week of the pregnancy, unfortunately, the doctors broke down the bad news, “it was time to say goodbye”. Teigen shared these events on an Instagram post after a few days of family time. Before she posted this explanation, she shared photos from the hospital of herself and John Legend, crying and saying goodbye to their baby boy. According to her, John Legend was also a little bit confused and shocked when she asked him to take pictures. Yet, Teigen says she needed these photos to remind her of baby and these memories.
Teigen received a backlash after sharing these photos. People said these are very private moments and they are very sad and should not be shared as they can trigger, offend or hurt others. However, Teigen looked it from a different perspective. She said:
“I feel bad our grief was so public because I made the joy so public. I was excited to share our news with the world. Stories leading up to this had been chronicled for all. It’s hard to look at them now. I was so positive it would be okay. I feel bad that I made you all feel bad. I always will.
But the moments of kindness have been nothing short of beautiful. I went to a store where the checkout lady quietly added flowers to my cart. Sometimes people will approach me with a note. The worst part is knowing there are so many women that won’t get these quiet moments of joy from strangers. I beg you to please share your stories and to please be kind to those pouring their hearts out. Be kind in general, as some won’t pour them out at all.”
Some people say that it’s her personal account so she can share anything she wants, which is a very valid point ending all discussions. Yet, there are more to this than sharing anything you want. As Teigen has also suggested, Instagram has become a visual diary for people; therefore, it’s no different than writing all down to your diary.
Teigen wanted to share her experience with her followers who love her, she wanted to show people who are also experiencing the same thing that they are not alone and this a condition wealth or fame cannot change in the end. Also, why do we want Instagram to be a sugar-coated happy place?
We believe that sharing sad and bittersweet moments are also important, it shows you are just a human being at the end of the day, it shows you cannot take the whole criticism, insults or bad comments -at least for those days, which shouldn’t be okay in any given day. Teigen’s posts and comments regarding this situation have started a new discussion on social media that we fully support.
Life is not always ‘en rose’, sometimes it’s a shit show and we all had some bad and some good days. Sharing these can only attribute to good, as it did in Teigen’s case. Her fans and followers started to share their miscarriage experiences and managed to create a platform of love, compassion and empathy. Therefore, one can see Instagram an upgraded version of life, nothing more.
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