Double Tap: A Poem on Identity

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Double tap.

To the women who have ever tripped and fallen

Into the mirage that social media can create—a reminder.

If you have ever felt less than,

Please remember that love,

There is a light in your eyes

And it is not coming from the reflection of that screen.

Instagram can be so mean

With its #lies about all that you are not.

Love, there is nothing wrong with your thighs or your eyes

Except that they are failing to see that you are a force.

The thumb you just used to double tap

That photo of the fitness model with the body you envy

Is the same thumb

That once brushed a tear from beneath your little sister’s eye

When you helped her heal from heartbreak.

That you held up proudly when your best friend needed encouragement

That you dipped in brownie batter the first time you tried baking

That you used to playfully pinch the cheek of a baby

That turned the corner of a page from that riveting book that you couldn’t put down

That touched the shoulder of your partner as a reminder of your faithful presence

You are a whole person whose soul could never be defined or captured by an app.

God laughs at the idea—you are far too divine.

You are a beauty that the highest resolution couldn’t capture.

With a light within that filters would only dim.

The song in your heart, your story

Is too great for any caption.

Love, put your hand over your heart.

Double tap.

Double tap.

Double tap—Listen to that.

Has social media impacted how you see yourself? How can we embrace real beauty versus the filtered, online version?

Images via Ben Cope, Darling Issue No. 23