Five Tips For Faking Your Perfect Life On Social Media

 In this day and age, we live two lives. The first is how your family, friends and teachers see you, then the second is how your social media followers see you. When you turn 13 you have the option to create an Instagram, snapchat and many more online accounts. From there you can decide how everyone sees you. Are you a makeup guru? Travel expert? Fashion icon? Surfer? The possibilities are endless. But what if your life isn’t that exciting, or you have a low budget and iphone camera. Don’t worry I got you covered, here are some tips to fake your perfect life on social media. 

Location

Location is essential for a great picture, and if you live in a boring, crowded neighborhood it’s time for a road trip. I live on the Big Island where we have lots of resorts and hotels that are stunning.  If you want to look like you're surrounded in luxury, take a tour of the hotel and snap a few shots. Most hotels are open to the public, so there shouldn't be a problem, just be respectful and “blend in”. Notice the dress code and the atmosphere, don’t draw attention to yourself.  Another location tip I have is when you are traveling to a new place or even just around your town scroll through instagram and see what other creators are doing. Get inspiration then directions, this way you get off the beaten path to explore a place that you might have not found by yourself. Your followers will definitely be interested by your “secret” photo location spot. 

Outfits

 The way you dress in your photos on Instagram says a lot about you and your personal aesthetic. If you are an outdoorsy person maybe you would show off your hiking boots, or if you lay around the beach all day your feed would be littered in bikini pictures. It can be expensive funding your shopping spree but there are ways you don’t have to break the bank. First is buying used clothes from thrift stores or online used clothing sites. I personally have an obsession with sun dresses, but there is no way I could afford a $100 dress for every picture. Another way to get a perfect outfit is trading clothing with your friends, this way it’s a win win for both parties. If you like shopping at a mall or online Forever 21 SAVED my life, everything is super cute and trendy. A pro tip for the perfect Insta pic is to plan your outfit according to the location your shooting at. 

Posing

When taking photos posing is a huge part of the process. It doesn’t matter how pretty your makeup is or how cute and expensive your outfit is, if you look awkward the photo is RUINED. This is serious my friends. If you need inspiration look on Instagram to what others are doing. Movement in photos is a good tip too, like twirling your dress or playing with your hair. Jumping and running photos are also fun if you have a big enough location. Don’t be a basic insta girl and just hold up a peace sign to the camera.

Instagram Feed

The last tip I have is to create an aesthetically pleasing instagram feed, which means posting pictures that have the same filter or that look good together. Nothing says you have a perfect social media life better than an organized feed. Some accounts ether post photos that all have a bright blue ocean behind them or a more organic feel. Get creative and find a theme that  reflects your personality, for example if you like being minimalist let that reflect in your photography. Honestly whenever my friends and I are looking at other people's feed that’s something we all notice.  

My favorite thing about social media is how you, the creator can manipulate how your followers see anything you post. You could literally be living in a box on the side of the highway but if you post pictures from a public sidewalk in a fancy neighborhood that’s where your followers will think you live. Faking your perfect, happy life on social media is incredibly easy but to be perfectly happy in real life is a bit harder. People often refer to Instagram as a highlight reel, because out of 100 pictures you take you could post the “perfect” one. Don’t believe everything you see online kids because it’s most likely fake.