Mom's viral 'decade in review' tweet proves social media doesn't tell the whole story

Christina Fattore of Morgantown, West Virginia, took a more candid approach.

January 10, 2020, 5:20 PM

A mom is challenging the filtered reality of social media by revealing more than just accomplishments in her "decade in review" post, which was trending online as we bid farewell to a decade.

As we entered 2020, users across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram shared milestones and happy moments from 2009 to 2019 titling their posts, "decade in review."

Christina Fattore of Morgantown, West Virginia, took a more candid approach on New Year's day. The mother of two tweeted her list, writing the following:

My decade in review:

Got engaged

Got married

Had baby #1

Bought a house

Tenured

Had Baby #2

Kicked a** at work

Fattore concluded the post by asking her followers, "Now ... want to know a secret?"

PHOTO: Christina Fattore of Morgantown, West Virginia, took to Twitter, writing a more candid approach to her decade in review post on New Year's day.
Christina Fattore of Morgantown, West Virginia, took to Twitter, writing a more candid approach to her decade in review post on New Year's day.
Christina Fattore

Fattore's Twitter thread continued, revealing the trials and hardships she experienced over the decade.

An assistant professor at West Virginia University, Fattore told "Good Morning America" that the lack of transparency in other people's posts inspired her to be honest.

"You never know what other people are going through," Fattore said. "I wanted to share behind the scenes. Not only to show that can you persist while struggling, but also some decades are better than others and you really can't compare yourself to others."

"Had I seen some of these tweets 10 years ago, I would've been crying in a corner [saying], 'I'm never going to be as awesome as these people.'"

In her thread, Fattore includes a more detailed list. She shares how she not only got pregnant, but had to undergo surgery to better her chances of getting pregnant.

She also "dealt with crippling PPD," or postpartum depression, had six total six surgeries, and lost an ovary to endometriosis.

PHOTO: Christina Fattore of Morgantown, West Virginia, took to Twitter, writing a more candid approach to her decade in review post on New Year's day.
Christina Fattore of Morgantown, West Virginia, took to Twitter, writing a more candid approach to her decade in review post on New Year's day.
Christina Fattore

"I think a lot of women deal with health issues or have miscarriages, and it's great when we share with each other because then we normalize," Fattore said.

Fattore's series of tweets garnered thousands of likes and shares. Many people thanked her for being so raw, she said.

"We just need to do our own thing and stop comparing," Fattore added.