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My name is Amanda Pittman!

I'm a wife, mother, author, speaker and the founder of Confident Woman Co. 

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Why Christian Girls Should Stop Trying to Look Perfect on Social Media

I’m immersed in social media.

I have an Instagram, a Twitter, a Facebook, a Facebook page, a website with a personal blog, and a Youtube channel. Through these channels, I share the highlights of my life, I share my opinions, experiences and encouragement. In order to be a successful Youtuber and blogger for the Lord, I’ve found myself studying how other women in the world appeal to the masses.

I see lifestyle gurus on Youtube, models on Instagram, and super-mommies in the blogging world. I see their “morning routine” videos that, in contrast to my “morning routine” of making sure I shower before 5pm, make me look like a sack of potatoes. I see the designer shoes, the makeup collection that changes with the season and the astronomical waist-to-hip ratios.

I’ve felt the pressure to appear perfect in order to appeal to other women.It seems that every woman who’s making any kind of statement in popular culture looks perfect.

Should I need to fit this mold in order to reach women for Christ? I don’t think so. And I don’t think you should have to look perfect to reach others, either. Here are some reasons why:

When You Look Perfect, You’re Not Relatable

I believe that we’re over-saturated with images of perfection in the secular arena. I don’t know about you, but I stopped watching  videos on Youtube that have far too much production value and are just flat out fake.

It’s cute that you can film such a perfect workout regiment, get ready with me, morning routine, night routine, fall look book, what I eat in a day, what’s in my bag, and all of those other “look at my perfect life” videos. But I’m choking on the idea that you’re literally that perfect. In fact, I’m calling bluff. And more and more people in the secular social-media space are looking toward the more candid Vlogs, tweets, status updates and images of everyday life.

No one buys the idea of perfection anymore, because the new innovations in social media are making the perfect and the famous seem more and more like real people.

There’s a shift that happening all throughout Christian culture, too. Where we once craved celebrity preachers, we now crave authentic disciples. We’ve moved from gawking over people’s perfection on interviews and speaking engagements to wanting to see their day-to-day life. We don’t want to be preached to about kindness and love unless from what we can see, you’re living it out at home. Our generation is over blanket statements and the glory of the seeming super-holy.

We’ve seen those people fall far too many times. We want to see real, authentic faith.Worldly models of womanhood often need to be distanced from the average and ordinary woman in order for them to be important enough to follow. The further away from average and ordinary, the better.

Even though that’s taking place in the secular world, if in the Christian space you try and achieve the same level of untouchable, no one who wants a genuine relationship with Christ is going to give a rat’s tail about what you have to say. You’ll attract the type of people who are more interested in being like YOU than being like Christ.

Christian women are looking for other women who have the same struggles that they do. They are inspired by the least of these. I’ve found that the more candid and authentic I am, the more people I help. I don’t need to look expensive to make an impact, and neither do you.

When You Promote Vanity, You’re Promoting a Different Gospel

The prosperity gospel and the actual gospel are in competition these days. Only one of them has the power to save. If you’re far above being seen in the same outfit twice on Instagram, ask yourself why.

Do you want to promote the idea that when you’re a woman of God, you end up having so many nice things that you never duplicate outfits, or would your rather promote the idea that what you wear is of no consequence because, “isn’t the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25) With our actions, we never want to promote the idea that giving your life to Christ will make you find your Boaz, will make you lose 20 pounds, will make you rich and famous or will make you #BLESSED.

With our actions, we want to promote the truth that surrendering our lives to Christ will free us from the yoke of slavery, bondage and oppression.  We must promote the truth that bowing before the King will save us from death, fear and eternal damnation. Because that is, after all, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I’m not saying that having wealth, being beautiful or achieving success are wrong. I’m also not saying that displays of wealth, beauty or success are wrong.

To some degree, we all want to display our best selves on social media. That’s not a sin.

What I am saying is that you don’t need to look perfect in order to be used by God. Don’t try to be something that you’re not in order to appeal the people for the gospel of Christ.

Our generation is looking for people who are real, who are authentic, and who are willing to put themselves out there regardless of their tax bracket or OOTD.

Keep ministering to others by continuing to be yourself. Even your best self! As long as it’s your authentic self. Don’t shy away from using social media to glorify God because you don’t look or feel perfect. It’s not about you!

  1. R. Clark says:

    I thoroughly enjoyed this blog. The lack of perceived authenticity for those who consider themselves followers of Christ grieves me. That’s a primary factor why I only indulge in social media in small doses. It grieves because these platforms are making followers of men and not Christ. Thanks for the read keeping debunking the projected image of what some deem as Christianity .

  2. Felicia May says:

    Such a great post.. It certainly isn’t about us and it emphasises the fact that its so important for us to die daily to self so that everything we do is done for God’s glory. This post also reminds me of Proverbs 31:30 “Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised”. Thanks for sharing Amanda. God bless 🙂

  3. Cynthia says:

    Oh my! You couldn’t have said it any better…I love!!

  4. Jada Hite says:

    I absolutely loved this. It confirmed, convicted and enlightened. Plus, you’re a beautiful writer! This new blog is surely going to be a blessing to me and thousands more.

  5. Shaunette says:

    Beautiful! Definitely has me thinking

  6. Monica St Louis says:

    Love this blog post so much! It’s actually a confirmation! I’m so glad because I can keep moving forward in the direction of my new blogging and website page where I won’t be overly perfect at all actually and it’ll be with all that I have! Lol I’m saving money in this season to get married in the near future, that’s wise in my eyes! But, thank you so much! I’ll still pin this blog for reminders here & there!

    • amandaapittman@gmail.com says:

      Yay!!! Yes girl, go on with ya bad self! No need to be perfect! Just do your thing and trust that God is using you! ❤️

  7. Dayna Blake says:

    I love your authenticity!

  8. Jessica Ellis says:

    Wow thank you so much for this sis!! As I pursue my YouTube Channel, my purpose diaries, I’ve had a few people in my family say you need to start wearing makeup in your videos, and I’ve entertained the idea of wearing a little makeup, but I’m honestly not a makeup wearing kind of girl. It’s just not me. I’ve also thought I needed to amp up my Instagram page by taking better pictures to appeal to more people because they might think I look boring and look away from my IG, but I’ve realized through reading your post that I would just be attracting the wrong sort of crowd. I don’t want people following me because of my looks and because of the “pretty” pictures I take. I want people to follow me because they see the image of God radiating through me…they see a light that they want more of…I want to be able to relate to them and minister unto and have them taste that the Lord is crazy good. Thank you thank you thank you for this post!

  9. Taylor Scott says:

    Wow! This was such a great topic! I have struggled in this area for a long time, thinking that no one would care to see my life because it’s not always Glamorous, but I’m now reminded that none of that matters, because it’s not about me! Whew!! Talk about convicting! You did amazing on this post. Thanks Amandaa!

  10. Inga says:

    Amanda I am so grateful you decided to be obedient to this blog. I appreciate your candidness. Now what I’ve just read is what I call being transparent. I’ve such a surge of love for you I can hug you do tight right now! No jealousy here! I love the sweet love of Jesus I see pouring out of you! You are beautiful inside and out. Lastly but most importantly it has caused me to think and to reshuffle my thoughts about my own social media presence (though limited). I’ve come to terms with my own self seeking and vanity while I was just reading your blog. I’ve waited for God to do something in my life today and this tops it off! I don’t know what else He has planned but if He does it will certainly blow me out of the water. Thank you for baring your own soul so those like me can see ourselves and allow God to cut away at the unpleasantness in us. Not many are willing to admit to vanity, pride etc.Girl love you to pieces!!( even if I don’t really know you but you’re a sweet sister in Christ) Ok I’m done with taking up so much space here

  11. Tia says:

    I loved this. It’s so true. I see people post their income reports to prove to people why they should follow God, but God is bigger than that. He owns the entire universe..He owns all of creation. He is greater than all these “things” that we can sometimes use to validate why we follow him. Thanks for sharing.

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