“Don’t Don’t Yourself” Pinterest

To limit oneself in life by succumbing to fear is the greatest mistake one could knowingly chose

to commit in life. From your grandparents to random elders we see who share their thoughts on

their deepest regrets, not taking a leap of faith and attempting to take that shot is the mistake

proven to be most prevalent. “Don’t Don’t yourself” by Uncommon London is what Pinterest has

to say on the matter. From addressing societal issues such as fear of failure, procrastination,

judgement, your inner critic, and doomscrolling, Pinterest provides a gateway platform to help

you find your way in navigating life. Pinterest offers a unique way of targeting those limiting

activities with its video advertisement. The advertisement was designed to target individuals in

today’s society who face those challenges. I can personally say I have been in numerous

situations where I have feared failure. I have had countless missed opportunities where I had let

my subconscious overrule my mind in fear of failing such as running for my 10th grade art

competition to joining the school dance team to even trying out for the school play. Pinterest

manages to address just that, those inner thoughts that speak to you like a little devil on your

shoulder saying, “you will never really achieve anything.” With Pinterest however, you can take

those first steps in accomplishing the very opportunities you told yourself you could not.

Pinterest then goes onto address procrastination which almost every individual in today’s society

faces. From an assignment due in a few days to applying to my next internship, Pinterest offers

the ability to put yourself first and take the necessary actions to achieve those goals. Judgment is

a significant factor in the way we approach our lives. We fear what our peers might think, how

we’d come across, who might disapprove of our actions. With Pinterest you do not need fear for

how your judged, you take a leap and make the art you want to make. “That is not the vibe on

here” is what Pinterest argues. Pinterest paints the picture that you don’t need to fear to be

yourself on its platform, you are free to express yourself freely and you are just a click away

from doing so. The image displayed below also demonstrates how we chose to let others’

opinions shape our choices. From wanting to try a wardrobe of new colors, to wanting to wear

certain clothing that doesn’t fit societal norms, to even wanting to try a new hairstyle or makeup

look, we overthink almost every decision we make. Personally, there’s been many times where I

haven’t tried a new haircut, wore a bright pair of sparkly shoes, or even cut bangs due to the fear

of what other people might think of me. We as a society consistently fear the opinions of others

and the fact it could hold us back from learning to love ourselves and growing into our styles and

bodies is frankly concerning. The image displays the individual who wants to wear a new outfit

with bright colors as a version of themselves is hiding in the closet stating they couldn’t wear

that outfit as they don’t believe they “can with those ankles.” This shows how individuals might

overthink their ability to try new things without the fear of how they might come across. This is a

great example of personification as Pinterest displays self-doubt as an actual individual. It shows

that the individual is fearing trying out a new look as they fear that they might not have the

ability to “make it work.”

Your inner critic was a humorous call to action in this advertisement as it’s your subconscious

telling you you are never good enough and that you can’t do something or you can’t wear

something because you simply don’t have the confidence to make it work. With Pinterest

however your given new styles to try, new products to use, new choices to make all allowing you

to comfortably find yourself. Doomscrolling is also something that significantly plagues today’s

society. Doomscrolling goes hand in hand with procrastination, and we often find ourselves

overloaded with all the chaos and confusing situations going on around the world. It is also true

that we as society crave dopamine hits significantly more than ever, making it difficult for us to

sit still and take a breather every once in a while. Pinterest houses new products and spa

inspiration that can allow us to unwind and forget about all there is to think about. Throughout

this advertisement Pinterest uses various techniques such as pathos by tending to the audiences

fears and rationalizing them and providing what Pinterest has to offer as a solution, in turn,

allowing the audience to act rather than feel stuck. This allows the audience to feel relatable and

understand that the struggles they go through are struggles that are common amongst many

individuals in today’s society. Frankly after watching the advertisement, I felt an appreciation

towards Pinterest as it is a place of creativity and inspiration. I’ve scrolled through Pinterest

countless times in attempt to find ideas, for instance I’ve used Pinterest to find artistic inspiration

such as drawings and paintings I would use as reference in my art courses. I’ve used Pinterest to

find paper origami layouts I could easily print and follow. I’ve used Pinterest to find dresses or

new styles of clothing I’ve been wanting to wear or sometimes even make and Pinterest does just

that. It gives you the opportunity to find inspiration and act on it. It makes you comfortable

within your own ideas and allows you to put your self-doubting thoughts away and take action to

help you succeed. The visuals also play a key role in its success by providing genuine and

authentic content that truly encompasses how those fears and feelings can be visualized. The

advertisement actuates each issue by generating a version of the main character with the issue

and then providing a version of the main character who has overcome the challenge through the

use of Pinterest. This was a great use of juxtaposition by presenting two different versions of the

individual, one being before using Pinterest having self doubt and internal anxiety, and the other

being after using Pinterest and having the confidence and self assurance to do whatever it is they

set their mind to. This shows the viewers the drastic transformation of oneself and exemplifies

how Pinterest could be a beneficial platform to implement within their lives. With Pinterest you

are given the opportunity to find new clothes to try, new appliances to install, new fully stepped

and labeled recipes to cook, and the worlds the limit. It allows you to have a platform to find

yourself, figure out what sparks your interests, and allows you to even publish your own creative

ideas and send them out for others to enjoy. Another valid technique Pinterest uses in their

advertisement would be identification as the advertisement displays you among the individuals

shown in screen. It shows you insecurities you may face and allows you to see how you can

overcome them by using Pinterest, in a sense allowing you to be brave and believe in yourself. In

today’s digital age the issues presented are often ones we don’t even realize how much effect us

unless we take a step back and re-evaluate ourselves. From doomscrolling, to procrastination, to

judgment, and your own inner critic, we place all of these insecurities on a pedestal and lay at its

footsteps. With Pinterest their take on the topic is that we can either allow ourselves to fall victim

to these issues in today’s digital age or we can challenge them and use them as inspiration to

succeed. It documents how easy it is to feel judged and ridiculed by others when attempting to

try out a new style, how easy it is to fear what others might think, to fear failing and just giving

up due to how hard or daunting a task might be, to find it easier to take the easy way out and

procrastinate on tasks you’d like to see yourself achieve, and even how easy it is to let the worlds

problems and issues in mainstream media overtake your mind and allow you to feel as if your

overwhelmed with all that’s going on in the world. This exhibits today's digital culture as we see

all of these issues on social media. The truth to this story is that we can do something about it.

We can either sit still and continue being overwhelmed and in fear or we can take advantage of

our own free will and start accomplishing it is we would want to do with the use of social media

platforms such as Pinterest. With the use of Pinterest, you can adapt your game plans and create

makeup tutorials, post outfit inspiration, find creative hobbies, learn new recipes and much more.

This advertisement shows that you are able to leverage social media to your benefit and it can be

what makes or breaks you, so make it count. “Don’t don’t yourself.” Pinterest uses this slogan as

its main call to action and takeaway. The use of repetition within the slogan by repeating “don’t”

allows the audience to paint the picture that they already stop themselves before even beginning

which is the main problem at hand. Rhetorically this call to action uses wordplay to be short and

sweet but also memorable and catchy. It addresses how we as society often let our insecurities

get the best of us before we even attempt to take that first step that’s necessary to succeed. The

advertisement also uses consistent imperative language as it informs the viewers that they can

take action and apply changes within their lives instead of becoming overwhelmed and

suppressing oneself. Overall Pinterest does an excellent job of demonstrating how it isn’t like

most platforms where it becomes easy to become engulfed with the negative aspects of social

networking communities. It breaks away from stereotypical platforms such as Instagram,

Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter where you are consistently scrolling through endless content that

often leaves individuals feeling trapped or in a rut. I’ve also seen countless individuals in real

time fake a post by simply going to a location solely for aesthetics, or some might say “for the

gram.” In these situations, I’ve learned most of what we visualize online isn’t the reality. A

picture doesn’t define the moment; the memories and experience are. Most platforms are

designed or in other words used in today’s digital age as virtual spaces to share life updates,

relationship news, career advancements, and fun experiences. Although this can be fun, it’s also

proven that individuals who constantly see others success and enjoyment compare themselves in

countless manners. I can say I personally see people visit new tourist locations, go out with

friends, post their companions and relationship statuses which can affect your self esteem. It’s

easy to see these posts and find yourself gauging your standing and feeling behind in life when

you haven’t done all that your peers have done. However, Pinterest uses this advertisement to

differentiate from other platforms as a safe place to turn in order to find new opportunities, learn

more about yourself, and grow into who you want to be. It’s marketed as a place of inspiration

that allows you to create for yourself. It’s not about demonstrating performative behavior for the

sake of your viewers, it’s about growing yourself and finding who you are.

The scene that particularly stood out to me which is displayed above, was the take at streaming

platforms where you can go live and different versions of himself were stating things like

“unsubscribe” or “contour more” “I’ll start saying this stuff so often, you’ll start saying it to

yourself, time to body shame” and the Pinterest using version of him snaps back with “nah that’s

not the vibe on here” this was a valid way of framing Pinterest as a perfect location to feel safe,

comfortable, and self assured in posting content for individuals with like mindsets. This can also

be understood as an effective use of ethos as it proves that Pinterest is a credible platform that is

known for associating its brand as a place for positivity and welcoming behavior. Simply said,

Pinterest sets itself apart from our everyday platforms that are filled with negative comments

from body shaming, harassment, and bullying. It’s common in today’s society to judge and be

judged by others who don’t share the same morals as you. Pinterest gives a refreshing view on

creativity and how it is encouraged on its platform. Overall Pinterest does an excellent job with

this advertising approach as it tackles societal issues and social media challenges and encourages

users to improve themselves with the use of their platform.

Watch Pinterest 'Don't Don't Yourself, Uncommon London