I started using social media at 13-years-old in 2015. Being on the younger end of my grade, all my friends already had it. Downloading Facebook, Instagram and SnapChat felt like I finally belonged. Instagram, in particular, nourished this sense of belonging, allowing me to post memes and keep up with friends and celebrities in real-time.
Social media was fun, but little did I know, it would become a double-edged sword of toxicity and validation.
By 14 I had stumbled down the rabbit hole of an eating disorder. I was one of the few brown girls in my grade. When I failed to live up to the model minority status of good grades and top ranks expected by my friends and my family, I decided that if I could fit in with the white girls, I could be something.
At the time, I was desperate for a sip of the magic potion in front of me to ‘shrink down’, …