I was confused about a title of a This Morning video in my YouTube feed, today. After watching though, I understood the story, and its an interesting one. It raises some points that are certainty worth giving thought to, in this modern age.
I was trying to work out how you could make yourself more like your selfie, as you are your selfie already, if you see what I mean. But the situation is that the lady being interviewed by Holly and Phil had surgery to make herself look more like her photos with filters.
You know how some apps allow certain facial features to be altered, in this case the nose, and this particular lady had surgery to have her nose more thinned out, like the results of the app. Trying to make herself look more like her edited version became an obsession, causing her to scrimp and save money in order to meet that goal. She had been suffering from what is known as ‘selfie dysmorphia’.
You can see the video here:
Some people may scoff that this is a new condition that has just been invented, and is just really people being a bit vain. But I think that
it is unfair to generalise in that way, and while some people’s obsession and the lengths they will go to for achieving a certain look, sometimes could be down to vanity, its worth remembering that sometimes it could be something more. Like so many issues with how we look on the outside, it is often linked to something going on inside.
It was in the closing words of this video that this lady said something that got me thinking. She was commenting about how some people who are addicted to taking loads of selfies all the time, could actually be doing it due to self esteem issues. And that those obsessed with snapping themselves may be suffering from anxiety issues. The pressure one could put on themselves to look great, ‘perfect’ in every photo can have negative implications.
Perhaps this context could be related to how in the past it was said how people could become obsessed with looking in their mirror constantly and spotting imperfections, and wanting to change them. Now many may be doing this with their mobile phones (something most carry with them even more then a mirror), spotting their so called imperfections in their camera, then adding filters to cover over what they don’t like. But what if one decides they prefer their unnatural filtered self?
Part of the problem can be linked to where these selfies mostly end up: social media. Wanting to always have a ‘perfect’ photo on our profiles and in how streams for our viewers to see. The young lady featured decided to take a break from social media to help combat this. It could certainty be reason to take a break from social media every once in a while.
The key thing that I take from this is how important it is that we learn to love all the great things about our own individual looks, for their are many. We often do not see them mind, because we are to busy trying to ‘fix’ what we do not like.
Filters can be fun and helpful to achieve a certain look in a photo. But they can never improve on the original, real you. When I look at another person’s face, not through any screen, I get to see your best selfie.
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