Coninued
Somewhere far from the silent bedroom…
You curled up in bed on a Friday night at 9 o’clock, makeup off, hair tied back, smartphone in hand, eating popcorn you had bought that evening on your way back from work. As you opened your Facebook page, you found yourself zooming pictures and watching videos over and over again to find out who your friends were with, where they were and what they were up to. From nowhere, a ball of envy formed in your throat and that devil thought crept into your head; hmm… everyone else seems to be out and about with the ideal group of friends and top notch plans. Then, with a scroll through your Instagram, notifications popped up, and you immediately clicked on Clara’s post. Wow..! It was dope! You silently wished you had her beauty and a perfect husband like hers. You saw celebrities, like Regina Daniels, Annie Idibia, Wizkid, Davido, Bobrisky and Omotala Jalade Ekeinde, living their “perfect” lives with the “perfect” body and the perfect boyfriend or girlfriend. They’re off on some vacation, tour, eating delicious foods, cocktails in hand, and rocking the trendiest outfits (of course, ones you would never afford in your lifetime).
Considering the fact you live in a small suburb in Lagos, of which you have endless complaints, unrealistic thoughts flood your mind, leaving you thinking that these picture perfect lives are full of nothing but happiness. After all, their bodies are your “goals.” You prance around in your cheap Gucci boxers as you try to take flattering mirror pictures in the hopes of capturing the perfect angle all to prove to yourself that your body can be “goals”, too. You’re in a war with yourself trying to cope when your life doesn’t seem to compare to others. Your friends’ Snapchat stories are full of partying, drinking, friends, food, and an overall incredibly good time. So the second you leave the house, and your dreary neighbourhood behind, what you do is…
“ Hold one, let me snap this.”
The house in the background is awesome. It gives you the feeling that you belong.
You are constantly on a mission to prove to others that you do fun things and that your life is exciting.
Hold on, that garden looks foreign. Added to one snap at the airport, you could pull a travellers’ post. It is a mission, you see.
You take a picture in a neighbour’s car, you post and caption it “New Ride.” You take a picture with a cute stranger in a mall and caption it “Love of my life.” You’re in a group picture with some friends and you caption it “pepper them gang.”