The Rise Of The Selfie Generation

It's become a daily sight, hasn't it? You step outside for a walk, or out to lunch at a restaurant, and there's always at least one person there who's angling their cellphone precariously, tilting their head and setting their jaw. Sometimes there's pouting involved. Sometimes even funny faces or sunglasses. Ladies & gentlemen, the 'selfie' is upon us!

And yes, I do it too! ;)

There are several reasons this craze has arisen. Among the key factors (culprits?) behind it are the advent of front-facing cameras in smartphones, and the spurt of photo-sharing social media sites everywhere. Put those together and boom! You've got yourself a good ol' Selfie Revolution, and a massive spike in the collective egos of the world.

The phenomenon itself has been a bit of a double-edged sword. It managed to inflate a few egos (and some that were inflated to begin with, but that's another story) by allowing people to garner engagement and admiration based on pictures of themselves. All you had to do was capture the right angle, get some good lighting, maybe pout or clench your jaw a bit, and ta-daah --- you've racked up a bunch of Likes in a matter of minutes! Great for the morale, eh?

On the other hand, it has created a less-than-favourable environment for people with low self-esteem or body image issues. Posting a selfie when your face is dotted with acne isn't quite a pleasant thought for most people, after all.

Enter the photo-editing app! Gone are the days when one needed years of expertise and complex softwares to touch up a photograph. Now with just a few taps, you can brighten your skin, slim your waist, and even lift your booty -- all in a matter of minutes!

So you're probably thinking "So that's a good thing, right? If filters and apps can help create the Insta-perfect selfie, that means everybody wins, right?"

Wrong.

The rise of the selfie (and indeed, Instagram and its peers) has created an unspoken expectation upon all of us to look perfect all the time. That little bit of cellulite, or that muffin top? Ain't nobody want to see that! And that's just the problem.

The world doesn't come with a filter, or FaceTune. We're not flawless and picture perfect, and being bombarded with images that imply as much is damaging to one's perception of reality. For those with body image issues, it can escalate their insecurities, turning them into full-blown anxiety. Girls as young as 8 are already being diagnosed with eating disorders, because they're made to believe that the models and starlets they see in the media are an accurate representation of what they should look like. Women barely hesitate before having their lips pumped with collagen, or their eyebrows micro-bladed on. Because Heaven forbid they're ever caught looking anything less than 'perfect'.

And it isn't just women. Men slave away at the gym for hours, pumping iron and chugging protein shakes, in an attempt to look like Chris Hemsworth or Hugh Jackman. Instead, they end up tearing muscles or ligaments because they've overworked them. And yes, men get eating disorders too.

While very little of what we see on social media is real, it certainly does look perfect. But real life isn't like that.

Is the selfie generation going to be its own undoing? Are we creating a generation of individuals who will suffer from poor body image and other insecurities?

I worry that by the time we truly know the answer, it might be too late.

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