Colton Haynes just opened up about his mental health journey on Instagram, in a post which acknowledges how that social media platform has played a role in his self-image. The throwback photos show Haynes in a hospital bed, far from the picture-perfect images that we've come to expect from Hollywood stars. And that, says Haynes, is part of the problem.
"I don’t want worrying about if I look hot or not on Instagram to be my legacy," the actor wrote. "I don’t want to skirt around the truth to please other people or to gain economic success. I have far more important things to say than what magazine I just shot for or what tv show I’m a part of (Although I’m very thankful I still get to do what I love). I no longer want to project a curated life."
"I get immense joy when someone comes up to me & says that my willingness to open up about depression, anxiety, alcoholism, & addiction has helped them in some way," he continued. Haynes then revealed that the pressure to depict a certain version of himself on social media, incentivized by the likes and engagement he would get and by the perceived perfection of other people, led him down a dark path.
"I’ve struggled the past year with trying to find my voice and where I fit in & that has been the most beautiful struggle I’ve ever had to go through," he said. "Worrying about what time to post on social media so I can maximize my likes or being mad at myself that I don’t look the same way I did when I was addicted to pills is a complete waste of why I was put on this earth."
He isn't alone. More than a third of men aged 18 to 34 feel pressure to look good online, and one in 20 have been body-shamed by internet trolls for the way they look. And a staggering one in four men don't like the way they look, period.
Haynes ended on a positive note, saying that the hospital photos are a reminder of how far he has come, and of the value of living an unfiltered life: "I’m posting these photos to let y’all in on my truth. I’m so grateful to be where I am now ( a year after these photos were taken) but man these times were dark. I’m a human being with flaws just like you. If ur in the middle of the dark times...I promise you it doesn’t have to last forever. Love y’all."
