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The Necessary Self Portrait
In the age of selfies, what is left?
On the momentous occasion that you place a camera in front of you and the shutter is pressed, an array of emotions may chaperon the act. A nagging discomfort may erupt inside, tensing your arms, and curling and twitching your lip.
To subdue the awkwardness, you tilt your face at an angle, your best side. Hiding insecurities with your palms, cupping your chin in a nonchalant pose. In this moment you suddenly can’t feel any more unlike yourself. Really, what should I do with my hands?
Turning to the camera screen, you are bewildered after being faced with your face, a network of complex lines, of skin that didn’t sag five years ago, and a complexion that has been damaged by the free radicals of this world.
From that singular encounter with yourself, the image seems to scream at you: you need to change. Hurry, before it’s too late.
The photos you see spewed out into the world aren’t like the one you just took, and the monumental difference proclaims that you are in dire need of adjustment, of makeup, and maybe even a bit of whitening toothpaste. You decide that that will be the last photo you take of yourself.
What can change this narrative?
