UNIVERSAL APPEAL

On a whim I pull out my phone, in search of a midday distraction. Soon, I find my escape: a photo of Olivia Culpo, the social media sensation and former Miss Universe, on my Instagram feed. She is posing on the hood of a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen in a red crop top, chiseled midriff exposed, like a millennial pinup. As I scroll through her recent photos, taken on the road to and at Coachella, my mind leaves planet Earth. I am now in Olivialand, a perennially sunny realm of glamour, girl power, and taut skin. I never want to leave.

“THIS IS A HIGHLIGHT REEL, AND IT IS A CREATIVE OUTLET. INSTAGRAM IS NOT REAL LIFE.”