Weekly Beauty Column: But First…Let Me Take A Selfie
I miss the disposable camera days when there was absolutely zero opportunity to scrutinise every aspect of a picture, or more specifically, a selfie. In hindsight, the simple two step click and develop routine was utter bliss. Today, we are greeted with a somewhat obsessive, compulsive and meticulous routine which goes a little bit like this: pout, pose, delete, reposition, pout, smile, delete, repeat, apply filter and upload.
Is it just me or can we agree that it’s absolutely ludicrous to think that we sociable human beings spend precious time posing to perfection, just to increase the chances of our cyber friends double tapping and turning that little love heart from grey to red. I mean, when the hardest decision of your day is choosing between the Hudson and Valencia filter, you know something seriously needs to change.
As a society, we have become completely and utterly obsessed by the selfie and to tell the truth, it’s a little darn concerning. Will there ever be a time when our infatuation will subside and normality will be restored, I wonder? We need to start embracing our ‘best meal ever #yummy’, instead of taking a picture from twelve different angles before struggling to connect to the free wifi in McDonalds, just to tell the world what a kick-ass time we’re having.
On the surface it may seem trivial and while I do appreciate an upload, I think we all need to take a step back once in a while and take a long, hard think about whether our fellow Insta addicts will be as impressed as we are with our new kitchen broom. Cute and colourful it may be, but is it really necessary to have it appear on your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feed all within 60 seconds of each other? I think not.
Inserting a cheeky #selfie #me #sorrynotsorry may make yourself feel better about uploading that ‘shameless selfie’, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s your fourth in three days. I’m all for storing memories in the form of pictures, but I think it’s a refreshing idea to be selective and post the pics which have a stronger significance than your afternoon snack (unless it’s a Starbucks with your name spelt wrong).
I need to take my own advice and ease off the Insta antics a little because I’m as guilty as charged. A foodie snap is my ultimate guilty pleasure and one that needs to be curbed, pronto. I’m going to try and take baby steps to disconnect and just learn to enjoy the little things in life instead of forcing them under people’s noses on social media. And I’m encouraging you to do the same. Selfies in moderation people, I’m telling ya.
You can find more from Nicole on her blog www.lifeofatraineejournalist.com