The Cool Girl Guide: How to Instagram
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3 min
Ever feel like you’ll never achieve “put-together-but-not-trying-too-hard”? You’re not the only one. Often social media feels like Barbie's world: perfect, pristine, and… unobtainable.
Newsflash: nobody wakes up to a picture-perfect life. Social media is filled with the best of best moments and candids that turned out cute that people chose to share. But with that said, what does it actually take to look cool without losing yourself in the process…
Get it together, cool girl:
Fit Checks
(Trying Without Trying)
If there's anything more relatable than waking up - your makeup sits right, hair is giving bouncy blow-out, and you have the perfect outfit… but it’s not quite translating in photos. You’ve even got the inspo pics and you’re following them to a T but it’s just plain… weird? Sigh.
The trick is not in copying, it’s about finding your angle. Find a picture you like and recreate it with small tweaks - experiment with different shots, angles and poses. Use all those folders of saved inspo to help you find what you vibe with; remember it’s for inspiration and you’re a different person!
Tips & Tricks:
🧍🏻♀️ Turn on grid & leveller in camera settings
A lifesaver for any clueless photographer and a great guide to finding the right angle and perfect shot.
🧍🏻♀️ Full body photos
Start with feet in the lower third, space in the top, and no funny angles. (THE best way to find your signature poses!)
🧍🏻♀️ Don’t forget the background
Find settings that compliment your outfit and don’t take away from it. Think cafes, sidewalks, nature, etc.
🧍🏻♀️ The NPC protocol
Props are your BFF! Look away and fix your hair, put your sunnies on, sip your coffee, reapply your lippie.
The Selfie Sitch
(Fine… I’ll do it myself)
When you catch yourself in the mirror and think ‘Damn, facecard is giving today,’ it's your cue to whip the camera out and ride that wave of confidence. But wait - let’s get it right so that wave doesn’t come crashing down.
Snap while you’re feeling your look of the day and lock in! The secret sauce is the lighting and the eyes - they never lie chica. Great lighting brings out your natural glow and getting up close and personal never hurt anyone! Don't overthink it; take as many as you want.
Tips & Tricks:
🤳 Face the light
Face a window or somewhere with soft, natural lighting to get that smooth, flattering glow without the filters.
🤳 Angle the camera
Hold the phone slightly above or below your eyeline to enhance your features or turn your head to look extra snatched.
🤳 Shift your gaze
Lock eyes with the lens, glance away for mystery and play with expressions for different energy!
The Art of Dumping
(Messy & Memorable, Yet Perfectly Curated)
Dump? Diary, more like. Life’s best memories don’t always match your colour palette - they’re often in the slightly blurry, as little quirky, or laugh-out-loud fails you sent to your BFF on a random Thursday.
The dumps you’re obsessed with on your feed are the ones that tell a story; each slide feels authentic, and gives you more than what the eye sees! It’s snippets of life that don’t reveal too and leave a little to the imagination that makes them so entertaining and imperfectly perfect.
Tips & Tricks:
🧩 Remix it
An unexpected candid, delicious meal, new obsession, fun memory with friends and at least one spontaneous selfie will do the trick.
🧩 The more the better
Not the amount, the variety! Swap out or save for your next dump - each pic should add something new to the story.
🧩 Say less
Keep captions minimal and let your photos do the talking. Stuck? Cute emojis or an inside joke are always safe options.
Reel Talk
(Don’t Overthink It)
Those reels you send to your friends can serve a greater purpose than sitting in DMs. Next time you’re doom scrolling and think ‘wait this looks so fun to make' just do it! They're a great way to capture memories in motion and they’re not as complex as you think.
Whether you’re vlogging your day, a viral challenge or dragging your friends for some pure chaos, reels are for moments you want to replay over and over again - don’t worry about views or likes, just share the fun and spread smiles!
Tips & Tricks:
🗣️ Scroll with purpose
When something makes you smile, send it and save it to the shared folder (yes, Instagram has those!)
🗣️ Editing for rookies
If you’re new to the editing world, use the template! With trending clips, it’s likely someone's already done half the work for you.
🗣️ Play around
Try it all! When fun is the goal, a day in the life snippet, funny trend and a little jive or two never hurt anyone.
At the end of the day, it’s about sharing what makes you smile and making people’s days that little bit brighter. Don’t overthink it! Have fun, be yourself and express yourself; don’t forget this is the whole point.
See you on my feed, Beauties x
