You may or may not have a Pinterest account. I have one because I like collecting things. On Pinterest, you can have collections of photos, recipes, quotes, hairstyles, and destinations without them taking up space in your home. I like that. But, there are a lot of stupid things on Pinterest. Which wouldn't be a problem except that some of the people I know post stupid things.
Here are my Pinterest Pet Peeves in no particular order:
1. Constantly pinning General Conference quotes or other inspirational quotes. I know, words are powerful, change the world, blah, blah, blah. Does sticking them in a little nook on the internet influence you for good? Really? Read a book if you like inspirational words: that's where most of these quotes come from. I don't have inspirational quotes on the walls of my home. I don't have "Bless the Mess," "Return with Honor," or even a "Phillips: est. 2011," because instead I hang pictures on the walls. I would like to tell you that I do this because a picture is worth a thousand words and what they mean to you can change depending on your needs at the time. However, that is an utter falsehood. I don't have quote posters because some part of me thinks it's a waste of money and that they are kind of tacky. (I don't think you are tacky for having them, they just don't suit my style.)
2. Similarly, I hate all the weight loss boards. People constantly pinning stuff like "How to have a tiny tummy in 8 days," and "Lose weight with these simple daily exercises!" Or worse still, the endless motivational exercise quotes: "I never said it would be easy, but you are worth it," "Every mile you run is a battle you win." If you desperately need motivation for exercising, you won't find it on Pinterest. Putting your guilt in a public forum doesn't make it go away. Besides, guilt isn't a good motivator for exercise, it's a good motivator to eat ice cream and complain about the size of your rump.
3. Contradictory posts. Like all those exercise/weight guilt-ers posting an article on helping children to have good body image. If you really want your kids to love their bodies and think they are beautiful, then stop talking about how "fat" you are, and stop treating larger people like they are stupid for having more girth than you. You are part of the problem! Another common contradiction I see is that mormon ladies pin clothing that is actually too revealing for them to wear. Especially in their "For My Future Wedding" boards. They pin a picture of a couple in front of the Salt Lake Temple with a "Together Forever" caption. The next pin is a strapless wedding dress with the caption "OMG I MUST HAVE THIS EXACT DRESS OR I MIGHT DIE!!!" Maybe they meant they wanted the dress altered to be temple appropriate. However, if you are planning a temple wedding, you should really just look at the dresses and styles you could actually wear. Those drastic alterations almost never look good.
4. Wedding boards. I don't say that people shouldn't have them. It's actually a great resource for getting an idea of what colors, flowers, and styles you prefer. I post wedding stuff because I like them and maybe I want to plan weddings some day. I just think it's funny that girls have to have an apologetic board title like "Someday," "I'm totes not engaged yet but...whatevs!" or "I just like wedding stuff but I am totally not one of those baby-hungry crazy girls so don't think I am weird for having a board for wedding stuff." It's OKAY if marriage is one of your goals in the near future and you enjoy planning out your dream wedding with a little online scrapbook of pictures. Lots of people do. No one is judging you, they are repinning whatever you find just as fast as their little mouses can click.
5. Over pinning. Sometimes I go on a kick and I find all these great pictures of dancers that I love and want to keep. Or I find some fabulous memes and funnies that I want to show Lee later. But when you pin,100 things in one day, those posts are the only ones your followers will see. It's like spamming everyone with your favorite things so they can't find the things that they love. If you never spend more than an hour on Pinterest, this will never be a problem, so maybe just monitor how much time you waste on the interwebs.
