Look At Me
Selfie, Who Is The Fairest Of Them All?
As she slowly descended the staircase, the lauded actress Gloria Swanson knew exactly how to pause for dramatic effect. In Sunset Boulevard, she let loose one of Hollywood's most memorable lines: "Alright, Mr. Demille, I'm ready for my close up." An aging star unwilling to acknowledge her star had faded.
Today almost everyone owns a smartphone. Coupled with the frictionless ease of posting to social media, the ubiquitous selfie has become a common occurrence to self-aggrandize. Extend the arm, craft a smile, angle the camera. Post. Then wait. Likes determine your perceived worthiness. Repeat.
We've become a society with too much self-interest. We have developed a false need to tell others who we are, what we are doing, and how good it is.
A few weeks ago I was sitting next to several women at a coffee shop. Over 45 minutes, one woman lamented how unhappy she was — job loss, weight concerns, relationship troubles. As they parted, she lagged behind, fished out her phone, put on the biggest smile and began snapping photos. She was determined to broadcast: "Look at me, I am having so much fun."
Artists like Frida Kahlo, Cindy Sherman, and Rembrandt used self-portraiture as a double reveal — the work was by them, and about something deeper. That is not the case with today's selfie. There is no reveal, rather a concocted show-and-tell.
Resist the urge. Drop the artifice. Embrace your surroundings. Breathe in to remind yourself who you are.