Preface: I am “going in” on Instagram because I think the social media platform continues to have a deleterious influence on men and women alike and it fuels the dysfunctional nature of modern relationships.
This is a two part post, one for the ladies, one for the gentlemen, that attempts to pithily outline why people should “detox” from Instagram and stop living for external validation.
Having self-confidence and the ability to make yourself happy without seeking external validation is, ironically, the most genuine and effective way to receive unsolicited external validation.
With the preface out of the way…
Instagram is not a lifestyle, it’s a trap.
It sells men the illusion of power and women the illusion of beauty.
The problem?
Neither illusion holds up in real life—and both leave you emptier than before you scrolled.
That’s why I split this post into two parts: one for women, one for men.
Both are guilty, both are victims. Read yours first… then read the other side.
Bottom Line Up Front
Instagram is making men insecure and women delusional—time to log out before it finishes the job.
Post 1: Ladies, Instagram Envy Is Poison
1. Stop Competing With Filters
She’s not prettier than you—she’s just better at FaceTune. Stop comparing your raw self to her edited highlight reel.
2. The “Soft Life” Is a Scam
That girl lounging in Bali? She’s probably drowning in debt, sponsorship contracts, or sugar-daddy obligations.
Stop romanticizing illusions.
3. Unfollow to Heal
If a page makes you feel like your man, your home, or your life isn’t good enough—hit unfollow.
Protect your peace like it’s oxygen.
4. You’re Not “Behind”
Instagram tricks you into believing everyone is engaged, married, rich, or glowing while you’re failing.
Reality check: half of them are faking, the other half are miserable.
5. Build Offline Confidence
The likes you chase online are crumbs. Real self-worth comes from achievements and relationships that can’t be double-tapped away.
Closing Thought 💭
Ladies, Instagram isn’t empowerment—it’s emotional crack. Detox before you waste your youth envying illusions.
Post 2: Men, Instagram Flexing Is Pathetic
1. Stop Renting Success
The guy posing with the Lamborghini doesn’t own it. If you’re flexing rented clout, you’re proving you’re broke, not balling.
2. Gym Selfies Don’t Build Value
Six-pack thirst traps don’t make you high-value. Discipline, finances, and integrity do.
Stop chasing validation from strangers in the comments.
3. Quit Consuming “IG Models” Like Oxygen
Every scroll rewires your brain to crave fake bodies, fake attention, and fake intimacy. It’s digital porn dressed as lifestyle.
Unfollow before it fries your standards.
4. Flex Less, Build More
Posting your watch collection or bottle service pics doesn’t make you a man of value—it makes you a man begging for attention.
5. Replace Clout With Competence
Respect in the real world isn’t earned with hashtags—it’s earned with skill, discipline, and character.
Closing Thought 💭
Men, if your masculinity fits inside a caption, you don’t have any. Detox before Instagram keeps you weak, broke, and chasing fake approval.
Shared Closing Thought 💭
The Instagram lifestyle is a parasite—it feeds on envy, flexing, and insecurity. Whether you’re a man or a woman, detox now or stay addicted to fake lives while your real one rots.
Here’s the truth: Instagram doesn’t just waste your time—it rewires your brain.
Women end up chasing an impossible standard of beauty.
Men end up chasing an impossible performance of wealth and status.
Different traps, same poison.
If you want your sanity back, the only detox is reality.
Turn off the app, turn on your life.
-The Rational Ram
The Rational Ram 