I’ll spare you the waffle of why smiling is good for the soul and I’ll credit you with the fact that you already know how to flash those pearly whites in an ear to ear grin. Everyone is hating on Instagram lately, including myself. There is such an air of despondency around the platform with claims that it will send your self-esteem plummeting. Whilst I am all too familiar with the smorgasbord of real and valid reasons for this bad rap, lately my experience of Instagram has been anything but depressing.

Recently, I have noticed my feed is flooded with images and messages that make me smile. This is in part attributed to my Marie Kondo-ing of my feed. It now ‘sparks joy’. Sidenote: is anyone else loving the way Marie Kondo has evolved into ‘verb’ status? The ultimate goal.So I would like to shout out some of these smile inducing, golden nuggets of Instagram greatness that have played a crucial role in my feed’s glow up. This little list is simply designed to spread the love, enjoy!

@SNOOCHIESHY

This woman is an absolute joker. Snoochie Shy is the living, breathing, example of an up and coming generation of women who’s sharp sense of humour and cutting edge style isn’t going to get in the way of her being taken seriously in her industry. A true pioneer. I’m usually smiling because she is hilarious and also it feels so damn good to see this woman do her thing.

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ME + MAGNUM GIVING U DUVET FM PON @1xtra!!! I’m doin up 3 HOURS NOW instead of 2 10pm-1am Mon-Thurs 🤪 SECOND SLIDE IS DA REAL track of week @miss_lafamilia @kinglavidaloca - new music from @tanna2trappy @q2trappy @bri_xxi_official @dealaagotit @dezzie2busy and way more ❤️❤️❤️

A post shared by $noochie Shy 💰💰 (@snoochieshy) on Mar 30, 2020 at 1:42pm PDT

@WHATSWRONGWITHMOLLYMARGARET

This hilarious cityslicker is an LGBTQ+ sex positive angel, gracing the earth with her words of wisdom and anything-but-impersonal content. WWWMM is a thought-catalog for the confused and questioning. An at home sex-ed hotline with a genuine human on the other end of the line. It brings out the smile in me when I see the impact she has on her followers. I love it!

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queen of quarantine hill

A post shared by Molly-Margaret (@whatswrongwithmollymargaret) on May 13, 2020 at 1:07pm PDT

@THELESLIEJORDAN

Finding Leslie Jordan’s Instagram is hands-down the best thing that could have happened to me during the COVID-19 pandemic. The international gay uncle, or Guncle, as he affectionately terms himself, has such a relatable way of telling stories and talking to camera. You can’t help but feel nurtured!

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Don’t forget to smell the flowers. #trappedinmymind #couchjumpingisfun #wherearetheroses

A post shared by Leslie Jordan (@thelesliejordan) on May 1, 2020 at 6:23pm PDT

@GINAMARTIN

Gina Martin is an activist, ambassador, and all round awesome woman. Don’t worry though, like all good role models she isn’t afraid to share her flaws making her totally relatable and not intimidating at all. During the pandemic she posts a ‘daily dose of Vitamin P’ (positivity) by curating a series of uplifting clips on her Instagram Story to enjoy at the end of a long day in lockdown.

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My face when people come into my DMs telling me to stop "politicising" the pandemic. Firstly, you'll notice different countries are having different outcomes. Because? You guessed it. Their politics. ⁣ ⁣ But secondly, let me break this down: ⁣ The Government regulates how the country is run. They set taxes, choose what public money is spent on and they decide how to deliver public services such as the NHS. ⁣ ⁣ The Government's Department of Health and Social Care has a budget that's used to fund long-term investments in the NHS such as new buildings, equiptment and IT, as well as maintenance, research and development.⁣ ⁣ But, here's the kicker. That budget has declined for 8 years. The NHS trusts have seen a 21% decline since 2012. That fall comes from less transfers of money for long-term investment by the Department of Health and Social care. Essentially, they have stopped investments consistently, and those investments are what cover the day-to-day running costs of the NHS. ⁣ ⁣ This year ~alone~ has seen £500 million of cancelled or postponed capital investments.* That is direct action from this Government, and that means nurses and doctors without PPE because of lack of planning and funding. It means patients dying. ⁣ So don't come into my DMs and tell me it's not political. We don't get to decide what's political. The history books do. ⁣The facts do. ⁣▶️ swipe to share on your stories. . Photo by the amazing @alex_cameron. . *Research from "Failure to capitalise: capital spending in the NHS" by The Health Foundation, 8, March, 2019.⁣

A post shared by G I N A M A R T I N (she/her) (@ginamartin) on Apr 24, 2020 at 8:59am PDT

@LACITYMUNICIPALDANCESQUAD

Another one from across the pond, this dance group have created a community and space in which women have the opportunity to “feel like a teen again, but like, a woman teen”. It’s goofy, funky, fun, creative, and great for morale. They do a weekly dance-along too, for those of you who are so inclined.

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since you can’t have a squad together maybe do our GOODIES routine on a clone effect- also it doesn’t have to be perfect make it ur own but practice it enough where you can get fun facial expressions/moods as you get more confident with it all 😏🤨😛😡😉🤫 #QuareoHorse

A post shared by L.A CITY MUNICIPAL DANCE SQUAD (@lacitymunicipaldancesquad) on May 3, 2020 at 7:03pm PDT

So there you have it, hopefully these accounts will help you on your own Insta-feed glow up journey. Seriously, reprioritising the messages you feed yourself is a total game changer. You are what you eat… which is why I fill my Instagram feed with things that make me smile and feel good about myself. I can’t recommend it enough. Happy scrolling!

Written by Natalia Webster
Instagram

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