Instagram Honesty (2).

I love social media; it's ingenious and brilliant and constantly surprising. 

It's also terrible, and at times I absolutely despise it. But don't we all, sometimes? I certainly know a lot of people who properly hate social media, some of whom have deliberately deleted any trace of themselves on every platform. 

But then at the same time, I know folks who have made a career out of social media. This includes me. New job titles have come into being in the past few years, at major companies everywhere, thanks to the major influence of social media. Right there, that's a job title I've come to know well recently – 'influencer'. It sounded mad when I first heard it, but now I am totally into it. 

And of course, so many of us have found friends, discovered new favourite things and been inspired endlessly. Whether it's coming across individuals and movements we wouldn't have known about had it not been for Twitter; kinks and fan fic we'd never thought to search for were it not for Tumblr; 5* cafes and gadgets for sale courtesy of Facey B, and of course there is always an abundance of beautiful foods and quirky outfits to be seen on Instagram. 

Instagram is a happy place full of photos; its users share snapshots of their lives for all to see. The thing is with Instagram these days, though...it's full of fibs. I catch them so often, little tricks of the light and selective crops that may suggest the photographer has a better situation or sunnier disposition than they actually do offline. Smoke and mirrors, flips and filters. I'm not judging though because, shock horror...I do it, too. 

I am now going to embed a few of my recent Instagram posts, and give you some background on each of them that won't have seen before. The things I wouldn't have let you see.

I'm writing a post about my pet peeves/hates right now, and tbh I'm a little scared to post it in case I offend anyone or seem like a bitch... 🌝

A post shared by Grace Latter (@_gracelatter) on Mar 25, 2018 at 11:54am PDT

I took this photo at the hotel I was in for a fancy, exclusive YA film screening on a Saturday afternoon. Not only did I hate the film, I also found myself overwhelmed with insecurity, but also slight resentment, looking around the VIP bar and seeing the youngest, most glamourous influencers like, ever. They were all in the skinniest jeans and sporting excessive bling, with shimmering hair and faces contoured to infinity. For the first time since the shave, I was physically forcing myself to stick my chin out and take pride in my appearance. 

A post shared by Grace Latter (@_gracelatter) on Mar 24, 2018 at 7:21am PDT

I loved this place; the space was perfectly decorated, the coffee was fabulous and the service was wonderful. However, I was sat at the communal table in the centre of the very small and cosy room, as I hadn't been able to squeeze myself into a corner where I wouldn't bother anyone. This meant I worried so much every time a couple or small group walked in; should I move? Do I look greedy?! Eeekk. 

A post shared by Grace Latter (@_gracelatter) on Mar 19, 2018 at 7:51am PDT

This post was aimed at my ex.

A post shared by Grace Latter (@_gracelatter) on Feb 18, 2018 at 12:10pm PST

This was a brilliant and hilarious day out. But when Mama and I arrived at the BBC we were told we'd be on the waiting list, as we arrived quite late. So for the whole hour or so before we were let into the theatre I was stressing about having possibly dragged poor Mama all the way into the city and down busy Oxford Street, and getting her all excited for the show, to now be let down and have to find something else to do with our day in London. I believe I was looking up the distance on the tube to West Kensington (for museum adventures) when they called our wristband numbers. 

When you are reminded that your favourite song can be other people's, too - when you're all quietly singing along to it in a dark room, staring up at the gorgeous human who actually wrote and made it. That's special, isn't it? 🖤 ta, @newtonfaulkner.

A post shared by Grace Latter (@_gracelatter) on Feb 13, 2018 at 6:04am PST

I spent the latter half of this gig with a finger in my left ear, feeling slightly sulky, because a fangirl who shockingly seemed even more keen than me was singing along so loudly and completely tunelessly beside me. I'm all for singing along, of course, I do it quite a bit at gigs. But this chick was almost as loud as Newton himself, I swear. 

A post shared by Grace Latter (@_gracelatter) on Jan 22, 2018 at 3:10am PST

This was taken while I was out having coffee with a friend; yeah, I definitely took my book out of my bag to take this photo while we were talking and eating the vegan cake. I put it away again after snapping a couple dozen idyllic 'bookish coffee' shots.

*

There are so many more posts I could share here – but I won't. I'd be here all night, tbh. 

Now, to cheer us all up and maybe earn back your trust, here's one of my most genuine recent 'grams...

Over a week since the shave, and I can honestly say I have never felt this beautiful. Also, my scar is a stunner. ❤️ Link to donate to @thebraintumourcharity is still in my bio, if you haven't had the chance to yet AND if you were wanting to donate to my local charity Counselling Plus (a 'pay what you can' counselling service in Hastings; my GP referred me and I was given 10 weeks free. So so helpful), then DM for my PayPal info!

A post shared by Grace Latter (@_gracelatter) on Mar 26, 2018 at 12:01am PDT

Check out my first post like this, published almost this time last year!