Over the past several years, I’ve read countless Facebook posts and Mom’s forums critiquing how much pressure Pinterest puts on women to have the picture-perfect life–the perfect house, the perfect sense of style, the perfect workout regime; the naysayers’ list goes on and on. I get it; you feel like pressure’s already being thrown at you from a million different avenues and that Pinterest is intimidating and paralyzing. Well, I have a secret: I find Pinterest empowering.
It’s nice to find an outlet for my overly imaginative, over-achiever personality. I’ve used Pinterest to plan my wedding, my wardrobe, my house, my organization techniques, trips I’ve taken, gifts I’ve given, family photo shoots, holidays, the food I eat, and even the parties I plan.
And here’s another secret, I don’t “Pinterest” my life so that other moms can hold me up as an example of comparison. In fact, when I make the decisions about how to use Pinterest in my life, I don’t think at all about other women stacking themselves up against me. I think about what I like and what works for my life, and my thought process ends there. The pressure women feel is something they evoke upon themselves. You want to throw a baby shower in which you buy all the decorations from a local party store the day before? Go for it! You’d rather wear leggings and an oversized sweatshirt every day? Great! You do you.
In the meantime, I’m going to continue to Pinterest my life because I’m doing me. This whole Pinterest perfect “front” you think I’m hiding behind isn’t a facade, it’s really me, and I guarantee the second you stop measuring your life against my mine is the moment you find peace. Your unhappiness or negative opinion isn’t stemming from wanting what I have, it’s being unhappy with what you have.
Pinterest was created as a collaboration tool to share and save ideas, and in the spirit of inspiring, I’m sharing my son’s Pinterest-inspired first birthday party photos. If you’re interested in following more of my Pinterest-inspired life, feel free to follow me here.
