Hailey Baldwin Got Real About Why She Doesn't Use Instagram 5 Days A Week

It’s totally normal to step back from social media sometimes, whether that means cutting back on your screen time or deactivating your accounts altogether. Being online all the time can be overwhelming, and feeling obligated to present yourself a certain way or keep up with certain people can negatively affect anyone’s mental health — even celebrities’. In fact, the reason Hailey Baldwin doesn't use Instagram on most days says a lot.

These days, most people know social media has its toxic side effects. On Twitter, many users fall victim to doomscrolling in an effort to stay informed, and Instagram can often feel like an unending feed of people showing you how much better their life is than yours. But another issue with social media is its negative effects on users’ self-esteem. In an April 26 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Baldwin confessed that she’s no stranger to the “dark hole” of Instagram, in particular.

“When it comes to social media, I’ve definitely gone through so much comparison,” she said. “Comparing myself to other people, getting compared to other people, feeling like I need to have this type of body in order to feel good about myself… You click on one thing, and you see another, and then you’re in this weird rabbit hole and you’re putting yourself down.”

Baldwin may be a model, but she’s also human. Every person is susceptible to feeling insecure about their body, especially when they’re on Instagram a lot — which is the exact reason why Baldwin chooses to not log on to Instagram five days a week.

“There’s so much going on, I had to give myself a break from looking at myself and other people,” Baldwin said. “The reality is that people show their best and hide the rest a lot of the time, so you’re only seeing a very small portion of [someone’s life].”

Although Baldwin noted that “everyone has insecurities,” she said she's focused on her own self-confidence goals. “It’s a continuous journey to love yourself,” the model said. “It doesn’t even stop. I hope I’m on [this journey] even when I’m old and saggy. I hope I love myself then.”

Baldwin’s honesty is much-needed. Hopefully she inspires other women to consider taking a step back from social media when they get lost in the sauce — because mental health is everything!