 So, H3, H3 Productions just released a video talking about Instagram vs. reality. And he touches on some points which we definitely need to discuss, especially because Instagram just announced that they're playing around with removing the likes feature. But some people are really upset at this video and are already making response videos. So in my video, we're going to kind of look at both sides and see what we can learn from this experience. What is up everybody? This is Chris from the Rewired Soul where we talk about the problem but focus on the solution. And if you're new to my channel, what I'd like to do is take a look at the YouTube community or different aspects of pop culture and try to see what lessons we can learn from them. Because what good? What good is watching all of these YouTube videos or watching the news if we're not taking these lessons and applying them to our own lives. So if you're into that stuff, make sure you subscribe and ring that notification bell. So in this video, we're going to be talking about body image issues. We're going to be talking about body shaming. We're going to be talking about anxiety, depression, some other mental health issues. And it is Mental Health Awareness Month. So full disclaimer, I am not a licensed therapist or a psychologist. I am somebody who has had my own struggles with mental health issues and I'm very passionate about it. But if you're struggling with self love, body image, bullying, whatever it is, please, please, please talk to somebody, get help. Whether it's a friend, a family member, or talk to your doctor, see if they recommend a therapist or your insurance company, or whoever it is and seek help. All right. So let's jump into this story. All right. So A3, A3 Productions, like I'm super proud of Ethan, like he's had his own struggles with depression. Last year was kind of rough for him. And he seems to be getting back to old Ethan, right? And Ethan is one of like the OG commentary channels on this platform. So he just released a video, I believe it was yesterday, about Instagram versus reality. All right. So the overall message of that video, which I'll dive into more throughout this video was that Instagram, what you're seeing on Instagram is not necessarily reality. But in his video, he compared a bunch of like, you know, Instagram photos to real photos. There's like a whole subcategory of this on Instagram. And he was talking about how, you know, this isn't what people really look like. They're a pretty important reason. All right. But this upset some people. And like I said, some response videos came out and things like that. Now, in my opinion, some people who are reacting to this video, and there's definitely some issues with Ethan's video, which I'll talk about later on. But some people reacting to this video or making response videos on it, they're missing what he was saying, right? So Ethan didn't make a video discussing, you know, makeup versus no makeup, right? He was talking about, you know, face tuning, Photoshop, things like that. This is something that Nerd City has talked about many, many times. All right. So it's not an issue of makeup versus no makeup. Well, it's like in the context of Ethan's video, because I won't say that like there's no body out there who was saying like, oh, you look better with makeup. You know, right? Like there are those kind of dumb people out there who say things like that. Right. And here's the thing, like it is a big issue. It is a big issue of what is happening on Instagram. Like who was it? Like James Charles and I think Nikita Dragon, they did a video like a month ago or something. They're like face tuning battle. You know what I mean? It's kind of like this fun thing. And like that's cool. Like if you want to, you know, take pictures that make you look better, if you want to record videos that make you look better, whatever it is, like do your angles, do your makeup, get your hair did, men or women, whatever it is, like do yo thang boo. But I believe, I believe Ethan making this video was to talk about the subject as to why Instagram is even addressing, you know, the like feature on Instagram in the first place. Like it is, it is known, it is widely known through plenty of research and studies. If I can find some, I'll link them down in the description below. But one of the issues that we have today, which is fueling, it's one of the many, many reasons people's mental health is screwed up. But one of the issues that we're dealing with today is there are people scrolling through Instagram feeds or Twitter or whatever it is, and they're comparing their insides to other people's outsides. All right. So there are some people who are saying that Ethan is being damaging to young women, but there is also like evidence, like actual research on the fact that all of these like facetuned photos, all these Photoshop photos, these are damaging young women as well because here's the issue, especially because younger people, like a younger audience, they don't know the difference, all right? Like you and me, we know, we know, all right? Most of us know. Most of us know. Not everybody knows. But we know what we're looking at. Like, okay, there's editing done to this. There's issues. Like, Ethan even did bring up the topic of Justin Bieber and how they changed that. Like this is something that's been going on forever, like the way they airbrush like, you know, magazines, you know, things like that for models and getting rid of all these little things. Like, so it's important like that any of us struggling with body image issues or whatever it is when we look at those things, we have to realize like, oh, okay, there's something else going on. But one of the other issues that I don't think it was addressed in the H3H3 video, but which is commonly known as well, is that there are influencers out there, and there are celebrities like the Kardashians and everything like that, who promote, they promote these like unhealthy diet teas, like what is it like flat tummy tea and things like that. And what what the issue with that is, is that they're promoting a product like this weight loss product. And they're saying like, listen, use this product, and you can look like me. Like that's the whole idea behind that marketing, right? But the reality is, is that there are many people who have the money to get plastic surgery, or they have money for like a personal trainer, or their images are face tuned or photoshopped, right? So like, I want to make it very clear to I am not, I am not against cosmetic surgery. Like if you want to get cosmetic surgery, do your thing boo. But I don't think that Ethan is necessarily doing something extremely harmful because he's bringing awareness to the fact that when you're seeing these things on Instagram, it is not fair to yourself to compare yourself to these other people because they are doing things that maybe you don't know, right? Whether it's editing photos or, you know, the cosmetic surgery. You see what I mean? But one argument that's come up many, many times is the promotion of these unhealthy, like dieting products, right? Like there are, there have been celebrities who have spoken out about this, I believe Philip DeFranco has covered it a few times as well. And that's something where like, you know, if we're going to get into an argument about like morals and ethics, like who's doing more harm? Who's doing more harm? Like Ethan, what he's doing, or the people promoting these products that could be harmful or dangerous. Like I did a poll a long time ago when I was focusing more on mental health. I asked my audience, I was like, how many of you are either currently struggling with an eating disorder or are in recovery from an eating disorder? And I got like, like, I think over a thousand, like people who submitted on that poll, just showing how many people are struggling with eating disorders out there. Like it is a major issue. Like I, I was absolutely blown away. Like as somebody who is so passionate about mental health and like looking at the latest research and reading books and everything like that. Like I did not realize how big of an issue eating disorders are. All right. So that is something that definitely needs to be addressed. So I do commend Ethan for talking about that. All right. Now the other side of this thing, all right, we got to cover both sides. Okay. So in, in some of the response videos and things like that about Ethan, it is that he's bullied. Okay. Now, trust me, like I am somebody who loves to trash talk me and my friends. We joke around with each other and everything like that. I love a good burn in my personal opinion. And I love Ethan to death in his content. I do feel he went a little hard on that video. Like there were, there were certain times where like, I feel it went just a little too far. And I think that's why some people are upset because his overall message was diluted by like his harsh attacks. Right. Like if he would have, if he would have stuck to just, Hey, this isn't reality. Hey, this is what you look like, because I think Ethan did a good job. Like what he was trying to do in his video was use like self deprecating humor. Right. Like Ethan is somebody who makes fun of himself. He makes fun of his body constantly. Okay. So if you, if you like look at it, he was trying to just tell people like, yo, be cool with who you are. Like be happy with who you are. Like in my opinion, like I am always like struggling with my own personal weight loss journey. Like if you're not happy with who you are, like you have the opportunity to do something about it. Right. Like when I, when I start beating myself up, it's like, okay, well, Chris, there's always diet, there's exercises, this and you know, all these other things. But Ethan was using self deprecating humor to kind of say like, look, it's okay to just be you. But there was a few instances where I was like, I was a little harsh, a little bit harsh. Now, the last thing I want to talk about is the use of self deprecating humor and using that as a pass to kind of bully or make fun of other people. Like trust me, I am not a fan of outrage culture. I'm not a fan of, you know, people being overly sensitive about things. But at the same time, I try to practice empathy. I know that there are certain people out there who are not, who don't have the thick skin that I do. So I try to be careful about that. And there's something I was taught in 12 step programs. Those of you who don't know me, I've been cleaning sober for almost seven years, it'll be seven years next month. Something that we're taught is, you know, because we laugh at ourselves in, in recovery, right? We make fun of ourselves. We make fun of our old stories and the dumb stuff we've done, all sorts of things like that, right? But what we're taught is, is that, you know, it's okay to make fun of ourselves, but other people might not be okay with us making fun of them. So say, for example, I'm making fun of myself and then somebody else jumps in on that. I might get really sensitive because a lot of us, we are sensitive people. So that's something that I would just suggest. Like if Ethan ever sees this, or if you are somebody like Ethan to kind of look at it and say, like, okay, right? Like not everybody is going to take things the same way I do. And, and all that kind of stuff. But, you know, at the end of the day, it does kind of bother me, it does kind of bother me that some of the angry responses that Ethan are like, you know, young women are depressed and some women, you know, or even men too, kill themselves over these types of things, right? Because obviously, like there's, there's evidence that people seeing all this fake stuff on Instagram and on Twitter and, you know, on YouTube and all these other things that is making people depressed as well. You know, so this is a larger issue that has many, many, many, many different angles to it. And again, like I mentioned at the beginning of this video, like if you're somebody who is struggling with your body image issues with self love, self compassion, if you know the steps you need to take to maybe lose weight or whatever it is, but you can't do it, like just reach, reach out and get help, you know, or take the first steps forward. Take that first step forward. Like a step that I took forward a couple of years ago was becoming vegetarian. And a lot of it was for health reasons, because when I got sober, I had congestive heart failure and I was dying, right? And some of those heart issues lingered, even though my heart is like 95% better, but a vegetarian diet has helped my heart even more. You know what I mean? And something that I'm still struggling with even seven years later, you know, of being sober is just the consistency of just eating right, because trust me, I'm proof that you can be a fat vegetarian, but eating right, going to the gym on a regular basis and all those types of things. But anyways, reach out, get help, talk to friends, talk to family members, take that first step. But if you feel like you need extra help, talk to your doctor, see if they can recommend a therapist, talk to friends and family members, see if they can recommend a therapist for you or a psychologist. If you have insurance, call your insurance company, see if they can recommend somebody in your network. If you're somebody who is looking for another option, I personally use BetterHelp online therapy. It's all available on an app and a computer, and you can talk to them, FaceTime with them, you know, whatever it is. So if you would like to use that, there will be an affiliate link down in the description and in the pinned comment below. All right. But there is help out there. All right. But anyways, let me know your thoughts on this subject. You think Ethan went too hard. What do you think is more damaging? I don't even like asking that. What is more damaging? I think both sides are damaging, like, you know, like, you know, unrealistic expectations of body, you know, image, like those are a little damaging. And then obviously bullying is damaging as well. But anyways, let's have a conversation down in the comments below. That's all I got for this video. If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up. If you're new, make sure you subscribe and ring that notification bell because I make a ton of videos and a huge, huge thank you to everybody supporting the channel over on Patreon. You're all amazing. And if you would like to support what I'm trying to do here on my channel, get access to our monthly Q&A and some other perks and benefits, click a tap right there. All right. Thanks again so, so much for watching. I'll see you next time.