Should You Delete Pictures Of Your Ex From Your Instagram?

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Is spring cleaning in order, or should you keep some memorabilia around? If you don’t take them off, you may just get a few “You’re still not over your ex?!” If you do take them off the day after your breakup, it gives out major Taylor Swift “We are never ever ever getting back together” vibes. So, should you delete pictures of your ex from your Instagram?

Long story short, the decision entirely depends on your state of mind, the history of the relationship and how important your Insta feed is to you (are you the kind who color-coordinates each post?).

So, what to do with pictures of your ex on your social media? Let’s take a look at all the things to keep in mind, so you don’t go “Ugh, I need to figure out what to do about these pictures” every time you open your social media.

Should You Delete Pictures Of Your Ex From Your Instagram? Things To Keep In Mind

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If you told someone a decade ago that the strength of a relationship could be defined by how quickly they go “Instagram official“, they’d probably call the psych ward. But the truth is, your social media is a reflection of who you are, and the things you post can sometimes have more significance than others.

Remember the episode of FRIENDS where Rachel, Monica and Phoebe started a fire in their apartment when they were trying to burn old photos and memorabilia of their old flames? Well, that’s pretty much all you’re doing – sans fire. All three of them ended up getting new dates from the entire experience, and you might too when all your dating app matches take note of all the sanitizing you’re doing.

But what if you want to keep them around for old times’ sake? Or perhaps they just signify the wonderful vacation you took, and the person you were with doesn’t really matter anymore? Let’s take a look at all the things to keep in mind while trying to answer the question, “Should you delete pictures of your ex?”

Related Reading: How Social Media Affects Your Relationships

1. If you cherish the memories, keep them

Removing pictures from Instagram can be a painful experience, especially if the pictures mean a lot to you. After a while, that picture of you with your ex in Europe doesn’t really symbolize much about the relationship, and it might just remind you of that wonderful trip you went on.

If you’re trying to figure out what to do with pictures of your ex, the first thing to do is to figure out how they make you feel. Do the memories make you smile? If there are no hard feelings and you’d like to keep the pretty pictures around, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t.

That is, of course, if you’re over your ex. We hope your ex isn’t in your profile pictures. Sorry, but that just reeks of “please come back” vibes

2. “Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind” Them

removing pictures from Instagram — Sometimes it’s not even a question, just go ahead and delete the pictures

That is, say adieu to pictures of the past and dust off your hands. If the pictures remind you of bad times, you need to get rid of them, no matter how painful it might be to do so.

An Instagram post is not like a tattoo. In this case, the trashy heart you’ve got on your wrist can be erased with a few clicks. Or that butterfly tattoo you got on your lower back can be wiped off the face of the earth. All you have to do is hit “delete now’

Sure, you could keep it because it “taught you a lesson” but do you really need to be reminded of that lesson every time you open Instagram?

Related Reading: Why Am I Stalking My Ex On Social Media? – Expert Tells Her What To Do

3. If your new partner has a problem with it, discuss it

Let’s talk about the reason why most people find themselves mulling over, “Should you delete pictures of your ex from your Instagram?” When your current partner says something like, “That’s not too nice to see. Mind removing that?” (Not necessarily this kindly). It might just be the first time you thought about the significance of the pictures on your social media.

It’s clear to see how seeing pictures of you kissing your ex can upset your current partner. The beach vacation pictures and the cutesy cuddled-up pictures might just make them involuntarily give you a serving of the cold shoulder – even if they know the past doesn’t matter.

If it bothers your partner a lot and you don’t care much about the pictures, you should take them off, especially the cutesy ones. But it’s important to note that, at the end of the day, it’s still your Instagram. Just because there’s an ex somewhere in there doesn’t mean you’re not over them, or that you think about them.

The best way to go about it is to have a constructive conversation with your partner. Ask them what’s bothering them, and explain your point of view amiably. Is your Instagram really worth fighting over?

4. Removing pictures from Instagram of your ex might help you move on

There’s no denying the fact that breakups are hard. If you see someone post pictures of an ex after they have broken up, you can’t help but think, “Oh honey, you need to move on.” Plus, if things like, “Should I like my ex’s Instagram post?” have been running through your mind, you need a healthy dose of a reality check from a best friend or so.

While you may implement the no-contact rule and cut off communication with your ex on all fronts, it’s important to make your social media as ex-free as possible if you’re struggling with moving on.

5. Having them up might make your ex obnoxious

If your ex is the full-of-themselves kind, they’re definitely thinking something along the lines of, “Wow, s/he still hasn’t taken my pictures down. S/he’s so obsessed with me; it’s crazy.”

Especially if you’re in high school or college, you’re a lot more prone to be affected by such statements and assumptions. While the answer to should you delete pictures of your ex shouldn’t be sought from what others say or do, you might just want to take them off to shut your hot-and-cold ex up.

Related Reading: Social Media And Relationships: Have We Isolated Ourselves To Find Company?

6. At the end of the day, you make the decision

What to do with pictures of your ex is a decision you must make on your own (with a little help from a nosy best friend). It shouldn’t matter what others say about you or what opinions they may form about you.

Though you can keep in mind what they think, it shouldn’t make you feel bad about your decision. For example, the subsequent matches you get on dating apps may take a peep at your Insta and assume you’re not over your ex, but the decision to take them off or keep them up still rests with you.

Hopefully, by now you have a better idea of what to do with those pictures that plague (or enhance) your social media feed. Our advice? Don’t think too much about it. It’s just Instagram, go focus on your LinkedIn.