Nara Smith, a social media influencer who has been dominating the TikTok For You Page, has become a recent topic of interest for many people. Smith is a Mormon influencer/content creator whose videos often feature her making completely from-scratch meals for her family. She is married to model Lucky Blue Smith, they married in 2020 and have two kids, Rumble Honey Smith and Slim Easy Smith, and are expecting a third. 

There is a lot to be said about the influencer, as well as the occupation of influencers as a whole. In this day and age, with social media being as widespread as it is, the increase of people who call it their full-time job has increased drastically. Seeing these people’s often elegant and lavish ways of living can seem like getting a glimpse into a different lifestyle than one’s own. 

What I am interested in discussing is how social media makes someone feel when looking into these creators’ lives. While it’s widely accepted that these people can be entertaining to watch and a form of escapism for some, they can also cause someone to feel as though they have not succeeded or they haven’t reached some sort of standard that is portrayed in these videos and posts. 

In the case of Nara Smith, my issues come when she continues to portray unrealistic and unattainable standards for people, specifically for mothers. There is nothing wrong with her making food for her family, but when it starts to become a problem is unintentional shaming of mothers who don’t make their males from scratch as she does. Her recipes often take hours to complete, time not everyone has, which is easy to forget when she doesn’t openly discuss any time of help she might have. It is true that no one is entitled to know everything about her personal life. This isn’t a problem that is because of Smith but rather the idea that society has in people’s heads about a woman being the ideal mother and wife. Always keeping the house clean, making every piece of food from scratch, being put together, making sure your kids are taken care of, and alone without help from anyone else. Such things aren’t always, or in most cases, even possible.

It is always important to remember that what is shown on social media isn’t always what the full picture is. Plenty of things are omitted in order for these influencers to marine their perfect image. While there is nothing wrong with aspiring to meet a goal, there is also nothing wrong with not feeling like you’re on the same level of perceived success as someone else.