This is my very first newsletter as the founder of Ladson’s. And perhaps uncoincidentally, I happen to write this on the day I deleted Instagram from my phone.
I’ve deleted the app before. I thought removing it from my phone, but keeping it on my iPad, would be a good solution, but it didn't really work, because I make my content with my phone. I reluctantly reinstalled it.
Soon, I was irritated again. The app was affecting my self esteem, and the way I looked at my training; feeling that I was constantly underperforming because I lived in comparison to the athletes I followed on Instagram.
I was in a “dark place” for a while. I had lost my self-respect. I only envied others. So I unfollowed certain people on Instagram, and felt so much better! I came back to life, and realized that what I was doing each and every day was always “enough”.
A couple of months passed and again: every time I checked Instagram I would have this “ugh” feeling in my chest that immediately got overruled by an “oh” moment. It was like eating something that I know is bad for me, but I still wanted more.
So there I was, sitting on my phone creating and checking content, instead of spending time with my kids, or with myself, constantly thinking “ugh”, and then “oh”, and then “ugh” again until I would just shut my phone off, and be done with it.
Whether I got likes for a post or not, whether our reels were played or not, really started to irritate me, because there is NO explanation why some reels get played and others don't. I was at the mercy of an algorithm. Sometimes it would give me “three in a row”, spit out a few coins, give me a rush, so I would pull the handle again. And I would stare at the spinning fruit, but then the lemon would not line up with the watermelon and the prune. Dang! I will try again. Just one more time, I’d tell myself.
Argh!
We all know gambling is addictive, and so is social media. We know it, but we downplay it. We hear things like, “You need Instagram for your business”, or, “I just like to stay in touch with my friends”, or, “Oh, I don't use it personally, it’s just for my company”.
I am not aware that I have sold a single bar of soap through Instagram. Maybe other people do, but when I announce a shampoo or a soap that we pour our hearts and souls into, and then receive zero likes, I’d think “How stupid is that?” I have no idea if anybody else cares. And I only ask this question because I put it out there for “everybody” to see. It immediately raises anxieties that I normally wouldn't have. I can feel the frustration creeping up on me, even though I try to be fully aware of the fakeness of Instagram.
So why am I writing this in a newsletter? Because Ladson’s is a brand that stands for making a better you; inside and out. We are a brand that stands for zero waste and only putting the most pure and natural ingredients on your skin. So I feel very strongly that it is my responsibility to realize that being on social media is just as bad for me as eating junk food, or drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes or using toxic cosmetic ingredients. Too many of us are chain smokers when it comes to social media. There are no ads popping up, alerting you that social media is bad for you. There are no warning signs that social media creeps into your soul and can damage your self worth. We’re hyper aware of our diet, the way we age, the way we keep physically fit, but then when it comes to social media so many of us have zero awareness about how bad it actually is.
We rate movies with “nudity, alcohol use, foul language” but not Facebook, Instagram or TikTok?
We celebrate kindness, inclusiveness, but is social media kind? Inclusive?
I know there are people who can handle it better than me. Obviously. I get it. I’m hypersensitive, and do things a little differently than your average 39 year old. But I am convinced that there are no average humans. We are all absolutely unique, and we are all extremely beautiful. Social media keeps telling us that the amount of likes is infinite. And it puts a measure on everything. A measure that is make-believe.
As a business I would love to just say that Ladson’s has resigned from social media. And maybe someday soon I will. If you want to buy soap you don't have to check our Instagram, you can just visit our homepage and place an order. If you want to ask questions, you don't have to leave a “comment” on our account. You can write an email to louise@ladsonscare.com and I will answer it.
We care about what's good for you, we care about you, and we care about our environment. Deleting the Instagram app from my phone has created a peace of mind within me that is incomparable. It's almost like a natural high. I have time to appreciate every soap we blend and pour, and I don't have to share it with anybody. I can keep it like a treasure. I can share my life with myself and my kids, my husband, and the people who mean something to me. I don't have to live in superlatives or capture postable moments. I can just be.
I’ve deleted the app before. I thought removing it from my phone, but keeping it on my iPad, would be a good solution, but it didn't really work, because I make my content with my phone. I reluctantly reinstalled it.
Soon, I was irritated again. The app was affecting my self esteem, and the way I looked at my training; feeling that I was constantly underperforming because I lived in comparison to the athletes I followed on Instagram.
I was in a “dark place” for a while. I had lost my self-respect. I only envied others. So I unfollowed certain people on Instagram, and felt so much better! I came back to life, and realized that what I was doing each and every day was always “enough”.
A couple of months passed and again: every time I checked Instagram I would have this “ugh” feeling in my chest that immediately got overruled by an “oh” moment. It was like eating something that I know is bad for me, but I still wanted more.
So there I was, sitting on my phone creating and checking content, instead of spending time with my kids, or with myself, constantly thinking “ugh”, and then “oh”, and then “ugh” again until I would just shut my phone off, and be done with it.
Whether I got likes for a post or not, whether our reels were played or not, really started to irritate me, because there is NO explanation why some reels get played and others don't. I was at the mercy of an algorithm. Sometimes it would give me “three in a row”, spit out a few coins, give me a rush, so I would pull the handle again. And I would stare at the spinning fruit, but then the lemon would not line up with the watermelon and the prune. Dang! I will try again. Just one more time, I’d tell myself.
Argh!
We all know gambling is addictive, and so is social media. We know it, but we downplay it. We hear things like, “You need Instagram for your business”, or, “I just like to stay in touch with my friends”, or, “Oh, I don't use it personally, it’s just for my company”.
I am not aware that I have sold a single bar of soap through Instagram. Maybe other people do, but when I announce a shampoo or a soap that we pour our hearts and souls into, and then receive zero likes, I’d think “How stupid is that?” I have no idea if anybody else cares. And I only ask this question because I put it out there for “everybody” to see. It immediately raises anxieties that I normally wouldn't have. I can feel the frustration creeping up on me, even though I try to be fully aware of the fakeness of Instagram.
So why am I writing this in a newsletter? Because Ladson’s is a brand that stands for making a better you; inside and out. We are a brand that stands for zero waste and only putting the most pure and natural ingredients on your skin. So I feel very strongly that it is my responsibility to realize that being on social media is just as bad for me as eating junk food, or drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes or using toxic cosmetic ingredients. Too many of us are chain smokers when it comes to social media. There are no ads popping up, alerting you that social media is bad for you. There are no warning signs that social media creeps into your soul and can damage your self worth. We’re hyper aware of our diet, the way we age, the way we keep physically fit, but then when it comes to social media so many of us have zero awareness about how bad it actually is.
We rate movies with “nudity, alcohol use, foul language” but not Facebook, Instagram or TikTok?
We celebrate kindness, inclusiveness, but is social media kind? Inclusive?
I know there are people who can handle it better than me. Obviously. I get it. I’m hypersensitive, and do things a little differently than your average 39 year old. But I am convinced that there are no average humans. We are all absolutely unique, and we are all extremely beautiful. Social media keeps telling us that the amount of likes is infinite. And it puts a measure on everything. A measure that is make-believe.
As a business I would love to just say that Ladson’s has resigned from social media. And maybe someday soon I will. If you want to buy soap you don't have to check our Instagram, you can just visit our homepage and place an order. If you want to ask questions, you don't have to leave a “comment” on our account. You can write an email to louise@ladsonscare.com and I will answer it.
We care about what's good for you, we care about you, and we care about our environment. Deleting the Instagram app from my phone has created a peace of mind within me that is incomparable. It's almost like a natural high. I have time to appreciate every soap we blend and pour, and I don't have to share it with anybody. I can keep it like a treasure. I can share my life with myself and my kids, my husband, and the people who mean something to me. I don't have to live in superlatives or capture postable moments. I can just be.