“Let’s take a picture!” he said.
“OK… It looks great; send it to me before you post it. I’m going to edit it!” she laughed.
I’m guilty, but I have been set free.
Welcome to the year 2016, where our photos must not have any flaws and our teeth must be white as snow. In this day and age, it is so common to edit our photos. You can edit your photos on your telephones, social media websites, apps, your computer, etc. Let me introduce to you to the newest norm of our society: posting pictures on social media that don’t look anything like you at all in person. Some may find this flattering, and others will probably just laugh behind your back. I’ve done both, and now I’m starting to become concerned.
Here’s the timeline.
I remember a time in my life where you would have to send your photo to the friend that had Adobe Photoshop if you wanted a bomb ass photo. Later, we started to utilize Google and found websites like Photobucket that gave the impatient social media aficionado something to work with. It wasn’t as good as my friend’s Photoshop, but it was fun. Later we were introduced to other social media websites like Facebook, and as we all started to transition from Myspace to Facebook we had to do things differently. As easy as it was, we started to become introduced to different types of media enhancement apps, certainly with the popular rise of Instagram that gave us the opportunity to take great pictures and enhance them very badly all at the same time! Then one day, somebody went mainstream with Facetune and Perfect 365.
What are these so-called apps? Oh, cut the shit, Becky, you already know; Facebook advertises them. If you seriously don’t though, let me summarize it for you. These apps will let you modify any part of your face to your liking. Whitened teeth, check; slimmer face, check; smaller eyebrows, check; need I say more? It is becoming easier for people to catfish others by simply editing their photos so badly they look like they’ve been on a good episode of "Botched," and that is not a good thing.
We wonder why it is so hard to be authentic in this world, but I think it is simply because there is this inner competition to look better than others. Even if you got it and flaunt it, even if you aren’t flawless; because the truth is, no one is flawless. These apps give people false confidence, and I don’t believe in participation trophies. Great, you can work the hell out of Perfect 365, but, sweetheart, we see the lines on your face from resolution overload. Consider yourself tech savvy, but authentic? No way.
I am not trying to call anyone out in particular, because I have done it myself “once upon a time.” You may shout that everyone else does it, or celebrities even. Yes, we know that they do. That does not mean it is OK to do it. I am simply just yearning for a time where everyone could just realize their own beauty and love themselves for what they truly are. Do we really want to look back at photos and notice how much effort we spent to get a lot of likes, or have someone slide into our DM’s? Granted, it works to become noticed. You either meet up with someone and they slide out the back door, or you begin to love someone in the picture that doesn’t exist. Both seem pretty sad, so save yourself while you can.
It is not fair to do this to ourselves. We are all beautiful and we should know it. Why must girls feel like they should look like the Kardashians to feel beautiful? Truth is, they don’t. But social media tells them different. Social media tells us all different. The day you realize that someone is always going to be more “attractive” then you will be the day you find peace. Seek beauty within yourself and your actions, because when you start to love yourself, you will feel beautiful. Post all the photos you want, apply all the filters you want, but modifying your face is a lose/lose situation. Be you, be authentic, and fight the norm.
