Have you ever really watched a duck in the water? Have you ever noticed how they seem to glide so effortlessly on the surface? Floating past without a care in the world? But underneath, no one can see their feet paddling fiercely to stay afloat.
Do you have Duck Syndrome?
Duck syndrome is also known as Stanford Duck Syndrome or Millennial Duck Syndrome. I define Duck Syndrome as working your tail off to give the appearance of having it all together when you don’t.
Plenty of people suffer from this, myself included. It may not be an official medical diagnosis, but they’ve created memes about it so basically it’s a thing now.
Meme from icanhascheezburger.com
“Be Like a Duck” meme from quickmeme.com
At a glance, these memes seem to be glamorizing the ability to work exhaustingly hard while making it look easy, even telling us to “be like a duck” basically implying: never let them see you sweat. We’ve all heard the saying before but what kind of culture are we creating if we do this?
Take social media, for instance. You can post a picture of your flawless new car or a selfie with your new boo, and easily get a few likes. But no one knows the hard work or the sacrifices you had to make to get that car or that relationship. No one saw how hard you had to paddle to get there. We are merely seeing the end result.
Our world is becoming primarily about appearances and keeping up with the Jones’ (or Kardashians) . This is why we can see many celebrities online posing for the red carpet, showcasing the glamorous life one moment, then having drug overdoses or taking their own lives in the next.
We have got to take a closer look under the surface.
Needless to say, we all fall victim to the symptoms of Duck Syndrome. Taking selfies over and over and finding the cutest filter until you have created an image perfect enough to share with the world. Personally, I will like and thumbs up a “we’re pregnant” or “we’re engaged” post in a heartbeat. Who doesn’t love to see others succeed and live their best life? There’s nothing wrong with that.
The problem arises when we start comparing our lives to the snapshots of others’ without having the full picture. It’s easy to believe the facade that everyone else is moving forward without much effort or strain. Meanwhile, you’re paddling for your life but can’t seem to keep up.
How draining.
With the creation of YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, people have the ability to create whole personas online based solely off a picture, video, or profile (catfishes). Then there’s reality television. Enough said about that. (I mean why is it called reality if it’s still scripted? I digress.)
Our world has become more about the illusion of success and perfection, and less about authenticity and being real with each other.
Maybe it’s time for us as a culture and generation to become more transparent about our shortcomings and challenges. Why not show what’s going on underneath the water, sometimes? Sure those posts might not be as popular or well received but they are relatable and honest and just might be exactly what someone needs to see.
We all know that no one is perfect, so why are we so caught up in pretending we are?
Are you showing symptoms of Duck Syndrome or maybe you’re in recovery? Leave a comment and let’s discuss!
To read more about my experiences with duck syndrome and my 30 Day Selfie Challenge go here.
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