Gilded Rose

Gilded (adjective)- having a pleasing or showy appearance that conceals something of little worth 

** Random fact** 

As you all may know my middle name is Rose. I nick named myself a "Gilded Rose" at a point in time, as a matter of fact,  my old Instagram handle used to be "gilded_rose". I combined the meaning of gilded with my middle name and came up with Gilded Rose , the nick name I'd call myself , especially on social media, and here's why I use that  play on words:

** End of fact **

 From the perspectives of others ,from what I portray on the outside,  they  may see me as bright eyed young woman, always smiling,  well dressed, and having my "shit" together. They may see me as an accomplished independent individual seeing I have my own car,  my own place, a 4 year degree, and a good career going for me ( dont get me wrong,  I have all of those and I am happy with myself on what I've accomplished so far in my life) but in reality what is seen on the outside can be the complete opposite on what's really going on in the inside of a person . 

SN:  I did hit a very low point in my life but I've taken the actions to improve my mental health, I am doing alot better than where I was months ago. No one should be afraid to speak up if they're struggling mentally , I used to be but not anymore. 

In King Lear , one of William Shakespeares famous plays, he states that " We will all laugh at gilded butterflies " The character in the play uses that line to pinpoint that what is seen on the outside is not all that cracks up to be on the inside. People will show off and pretend they're something they're not to get the attention and admiration from others, especially strangers. Yes, I am most definitely speaking about social media . This leads me to say, that quote can still be relevant today in that people will post their " highlights " on social media, they will post all the good things happening in their life but no posts about the  hardships they are going through. ( but who would post about their own struggles? right?, ) 

Overtime the true colors of who someone really is or what is happening " behind closed doors " will always come to light; whether its their behavior of how they treat others or what is really going on in their lives despite all the glamor that they spot light on their pages for the "likes". 

I've always liked that Shakespeare quote because it can describe myself and so many others. ( Yes I have been guilty of posting " highlights " and "fake smiles " on social media too to try to show off I'm doing well in life when in reality at times it was the opposite of that) 

Now in 2021 I really dont give a shit about the approval of my peers with how im doing in life because we all struggle especially mentally .You may be seen as being a beautiful successful person based off your social media posts but in reality you've been through many hardships and learned difficult lessons the past few months, but you aren't going to post about that. Social media can put on a fake persona about an individual which is why it can be extremely toxic for ones that have been struggling internally ( I was one of those individuals,  comparing myself to my peers especially the ones the same age as me ) I'm not saying social media is all bad, because there are good things about it too, but if you find yourself comparing yourself to your peers you need to take a break from it, deactivate your accounts,  or at least delete the apps off your phone until you're back in a healthy mental place . There's so much more happening around you , so much more to do and enjoy in your life other than Facebook,  Instagram,  Snapchat, etc. Trust me, a break for a little bit or even for good from social media will benefit your mental health in the long run.