Instagram is my last happy app. Twitter is a neverending but necessary stream of horrifying news about imminent annihilation by North Korea or slowly being swept out to sea by climate change. Facebook is friends posting blithely about babies, marathons, and memes. Snapchat is a zombieland of brands.So when I want refuge from real-life frights and the messiness of online fights, I turn to Instagram. What's that, you say? Instagram is harmful to your mental health? Full of narcissists? Awash in unreasonable expectations? You, my friend, are doing Instagram wrong.
There are a lot of things I haven't worked out in life yet, like what it takes to have a lasting, long-term relationship or how to achieve home ownership. But I do know how to curate an Instagram feed that keeps the less savory corners of the Facebook-owned app at bay. Check out three categories of accounts that will brighten your feed. Because you should feel only happiness when you click on that pink-ombréd app icon.
Animals
This should be the most obvious thing. The internet is built on adorable animal videos and hence they should form the basis of your Instagram follows.
One of my favorites is Juniper the Fox (juniperfoxx). Her profile says she's "the happiest fox" and that's no exaggeration. She's a bushy-tailed, smiling stunner and her adventures with boyfriend Moose the dog and newly adopted baby fox Fig are like a modern-day Beatrix Potter story. Though wildlife belongs in the wild, Juniper and Fig are fox-farm rescues who would not survive on their own.
Jill is not the only furry former tree-dweller living a cushy life. Pumpkin the Raccoon (pumpkintheraccoon) fell out of a tree and into the lives of a couple in the Bahamas. She has two canine sisters, Toffee and Oreo, and mostly they brunch, lounge, and swim in the family pool. Pumpkin is truly well-versed in that Instagram life but you'll only say "aww" not "ugh."
Unconventional pets make for the best Instas, to be honest. Jill the Squirrel (this_girl_is_a_squirrel) will make you look at every common gray squirrel as the extraordinary being it is. Jill was rescued during Hurricane Isaac and now leads a life of napping, climbing cat trees, eating garden tomatoes, and watching Game of Thrones. Jill posts Instagram stories more often than any other influencer. Be sure to turn up the volume on any ones where she's snacking.
I have a particular fondness for bunnies, and just about the cutest pair out there is Freddie & Flora (loppybuns). The lop-eared buns live in the countryside of Devon, England, and they frequently frolic in the garden since their human is an advocate of a natural lifestyle for rabbit pets. They also munch lots of greens (volume to max maximizes the cuteness) and hang out with chicks.
Of course, traditional pets like cats and dogs have plenty of representation on Instagram. Following The Dogist (thedogist)—who takes photos of dogs on the street and pairs them with owner quotes about them—means you don't have to stalk dogs IRL yourself. (I can't be alone in this, right?) And if your visits to the bodega are less about grabbing some groceries and more about visiting the cat, there's Bodega Cats (bodegacatsofinstagram).
Artists
Instagram is its own art form, so artists (visual and otherwise) have embraced the medium in unexpected ways.
New Yorker writer Hilton Als takes insouciant shots of his famous arty friends, his surroundings, and sometimes even classic films on his TV and frames them like Polaroids. His account is like coming across a box of vintage photos in a curiosity shop.
Gretchen Röehrs (groehrs) loves food and fashion and the two come together in her whimsical illustrations where women wear radical radish dresses and get down in gourds. Röehrs's work serves up a full day's supply of sunshine.
If you're still thirsty, then grab a cup. Writers and artists go to cafes because they love caffeine, yes, but they also love to people watch. Illustrator Mariya Suzuki (mariyasuzuki) takes it a little farther than most and draws the people around her on coffee cups. She also shares her sketchbook and scenes from her exhibitions.
As a photography student, Hajar Benjida is undoubtedly practiced at seeing the world through a more beautiful lens than most. But when she looks at rapper Young Thug she sees true art. Benjida's school project Young Thug As Paintings (youngthugaspaintings) is a true masterpiece. She pairs photos of Young Thug that perfectly parallel famous paintings. Because the guy who released "Beautiful Thugger Girls" can absolutely have the softness of a mother in a Cassat or the intensity of a Caravaggio.
The Human Touch
Following those who live for likes or post a steady stream of selfies and #sponcon can leave you feeling a little empty. But with Humans of NY (humansofny), you'll have your horizons expanded. There are tear jerkers and heartwarming tales (sometimes they are both), but you will truly be a better person for reading the experiences captured by photographer Brandon Stanton.
Do love stories make you cry or want to vom? If you're in the "definitely nauseous" category, hear me out. I have never seen a Nicholas Sparks movie so my credentials are pretty good. The Way We Met (thewaywemet) is not just some treacly Instagram version of a rom-com. The couple stories explicate the human condition and make you question fate (and your role in creating it). Sometimes they are brutal, but they're also uplifting and even the hard-hearted will get a little teary here and there.
I don't care if you watch Blackish or not, if you want her to be Ms. Frizzle, or if you've seen Girlfriends (wait, you should see Girlfriends, it is great), but you must follow Tracee Ellis Ross (traceeellisross) if you want some joy in your life every day. Tracee (I'm calling her that because at this point she seems like a friend) is relentlessly positive but not saccharine, goes to Whole Foods and on road trips with her delightful dad, and is so ebullient and gracious you don't envy her fabulous vacations or the glamorous events she attends with her iconic mom, Diana Ross.
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