By Carol Traulsen
I would like ban the word “selfie” from the pop-culture dictionary. I’m so tired of it I could scream. It’s perfectly fine to enjoy yourself at an event or send a pic to friend but do you honestly think the world needs to see a picture of you at every point in your day? Do I really need to know who you saw and what you did all week long even if I don’t know you? With the advent of camera/phones it seems all the worlds a photographer with no ability to edit. I’m calling for a moratorium. I’m fed up. Why are people so obsessed with their looks? And why should I care how you look? Why does the photographer seek validation of his being through a picture of him or herself when there are so many other things that are more important?
It shows a lot of insecurity. I think people have been fed this steady “surface is-all-that-counts” diet for so long that they’ve begun to believe the only way to get validation is to put themselves out there physically. They believe it doesn’t matter what you say or do as long as you look good. And when they spend that much time looking the mirror or looking at photos of themselves they find flaws. I am appalled when I hear the number of people having plastic surgery has risen because they don’t like the way they look on Skype or in pictures. If people paid as much attention to their financial well-being or their spiritual well-being or-education as they did their looks maybe they wouldn’t be so unhappy.
I’m sad at the empty vessel culture I see growing around me. I refuse to be a part of it. It was all I could do to take one for the no make-up selfie we did here a few months ago. That was for a good cause, in honor of my sister. I can’t change what I look like. I refuse change what I look like to gain approval. I believe what’s inside matters more. I try to eat right, get exercise, and take care of my teeth, my body and my health, but that’s it. The inside is what counts. I have so much more to give, so much more learn and so much more to accomplish. I don’t have the time, energy or inclination to stop, pose, and post a photo everyday. Quite frankly, I don’t understand anyone who does.
Enjoy yourself. Live your life, learn, grow, and share your passions. Just don’t assume the whole world needs to see your face everyday. There are more valid forms of self-expression. Turn that camera outward, look at the world around you. Develop your insides. Give of your time, your energy and your talents. Make sure you are more than an attractive, empty vessel. Stop looking the mirror for a week. I guarantee it will change your life.
