I love Pinterest. I’ve been using it for years. One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday or Sunday morning is to sit with a coffee and scroll through my Pinterest feed looking for inspiration. There are very few photos that I actually follow through on, but the process of scrolling and looking at beautiful photos sparks a lot of joy. It’s a form of escapism that I indulge in pretty regularly. (You can follow my Pinterest boards by clicking here if you’re interested)

The Pinterest Origin Story

Pinterest launched in 2010 and was the first social media tool to rely largely on visuals. I remember at the time photographers were having a fit because their photos were being shared without any obvious credit. I admit, because of this I thought Pinterest would never make it, but boy was I wrong. Other platforms have come along, but Pinterest is still one of the most powerful social media tools, generating tons of money for tons of people.

The idea behind Pinterest was to use it as a search engine for curated rather than computed ideas (a la Google and other traditional search engines). Instead of having a computer decide what you should look at, you could rely on like-minded people searching for similar things to curate ideas for you. And honestly, it works really well. That algorithm has got me pegged, and when I log on I know it’s going to only show me things I love.

Pinterest Perfection VS Real Life

When I pin something to a board, what I’m sharing is essentially an announcement of my style. Is it my reality? 95% of the time, no. But it’s a dream of what I’d like my life to be like. And herein lies the room for toxicity. People can look at Pinterest and instead of feeling inspired, feel a sense of shame at their inability to live up to what others are doing (or at least ‘pinning’). It can set unrealistic expectations that make people feel ‘less than’. But let me tell you something, when it comes to the interior design photos at least, the majority of these posts don’t represent real life.

Close to 15 years ago I worked at an interior design magazine, styling rooms for photoshoots. Let me assure you, it takes a team of stylists, lighting and camera people to get even the most beautiful rooms ready for camera. Even the wealthiest most beautiful homes need hours of styling work because people don’t live perfectly. It just isn’t a thing. We would replace rugs, add accessories, steam furniture, exchange pillows, and so on. These pictures then later end up on Pinterest, and over time the expectation forms that this is real life. It’s not.

Only once did I go to a home that looked as pristine in real life as it did on camera. The woman who lived there was a designer (not that it matters), and when her kids came home from school they had one tiny area by the back door where they could put their book bags down. Other than that, everything had to be in their bedrooms. There was no trace of these two young boys anywhere else in the house because, god forbid, it would ruin the aesthetic. Who wants to live like that?

The same goes for food photography. I’m not a foodie by any means, but from what I learned at the odd photoshoot where food was involved, food styling is one of the hardest things in the world. So it’s safe to say that all the amazing food photography falls into the same category – great pictures, not real life. I’ve tried a lot of recipes I’ve found on Pinterest – some of them have tasted fantastic, but they rarely look as good as the photos!

All of this is why Pinterest fails are so funny. They represent the reality far more than those beautiful photos that fill up our feeds. But it can also be dangerous, as some people feel like failures when they can’t live up to the (false) expectations.

I think the moral of this story is to use Pinterest for what it’s good for. Inspiration, escapism, and recommendations from people who have done things before you. But don’t get up in the fake reality that exists there. Don’t be afraid to decorate and live the way you want. Too many people feel bad about themselves for reasons directly related to social media. Don’t fall into the trap. Forget about Pinterest perfection, because we’re not perfect and we’re not meant to be.