Wednesday 22 July 2015

Putting selfies on the shelfies


Whaaatcha!

"Oh, oopsy, did I just face-plant myself into your selfie and totes ruin your ego-tastic moment of self-publicity that actually no one cares about?"




Claws away, let's get serious and talk about the underlying vanity-cum-insecurity that is wiping away the self-respect and propriety of a whole generation of otherwise beautiful, clever and dynamic young people.

When Joey Bloggs from nowheresville wants to feel noticed, all he need do is take out his iPhone, shoot a pout-laden snap and upload to Facebook or Twitter to make himself count - or at least, feel like he counts. Because that's what it's all about isn't it? Fulfilling our desperate need to be someone, to be loved, adored and admired. And, if celebs like the Kardashian clan, Taylor Swift et al are doing it, we should be too.

But when normos, heck, even teenagers start producing made-up, sexualised photographs of themselves and posting them online aren't we getting into dangerous territory? Selfies perpetuate the worn-out myth that good looks equal popularity.

Selfies also hint at something else though. That actually people need to start believing they are as beautiful as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian to accept themselves. Let alone have anyone else accept them.

In my mind, loving ourselves means not needing to display our bodies, however toned, and faces however made-up or botoxed for public consumption. Or am I completely wrong? Are people just so confident in themselves that becoming our own paparazzi and parading our pouts online is normal?

Whatever the reasons behind the phenomenon of selfies, one thing's for sure, they're going to be around for a long, long time yet. While all this ego-snapping's going on, I'll be on the shelf(y), hiding my eyes.

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