Take A Selfie? #narcissism

Posted on by beautybeyondbones

So you know how Google is coming out with a new phone, and how they’re advertising it all over TV?

(And no this isn’t an ad…)

But their main selling point is twofold: First, that there’s unlimited photo storage, and secondly, that it can take a “selfie”  through voice recognition, simply by saying, “Take a selfie.”

And all day yesterday, during the Bengals/Steelers game, this freaking commercial kept coming on, with that teenage girl floating on a big flamingo inner tube in the water going “Take a selfie! Take a selfie! Take a selfie!” with the varying duck faces and pouts to follow.

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And as I felt myself getting more and more annoyed at that stupid ad, I thought to myself, “Is that what we’ve come to?” — That the main selling point for this huge phone – that is trying to rival Apple – is that it can take a selfie through voice recognition?!

Are you kidding me?

This. This is what we’ve come to, people.

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I’ve got a dirty little confession here folks: I’ve been watching a lot of Keeping Up with the Kardashians here lately. And every time, I’m always just struck with the nauseating level of narcissism going on in that family. I should probably stop watching it actually, for fear that it is going to rub off on me…

But the more and more I’m becoming aware of the toxic level of self-absorption that is seeping into our culture, the more I can see it in everyday life.

One of my favorite “games” to play as I’m walking around NYC is “spot the selfie”…and let’s just say, it can get pretty entertaining.

But here’s the sad thing…the more I can spot it in others, the more aware I am of it in myself, too.

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I got to go to my favorite church yesterday, since I’m home for a hot second in Ohio. And the sermon was all about the very first commandment….Not having any other gods before God. 

I think when people – myself included – think about that, they think about the obvious idols we have in our lives: money, power, success, food, cars etc. Those we can grasp pretty easily.

But what about the idol that is literally staring back at us in the mirror.

What about the idol of self?

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Now let me pause here for just a minute to address the elephant in the room. The irony is not lost on me that here I am literally talking about narcissism, on a blog that is about myself.

Hello, pot. Meet kettle.

But the idol of self very well may be the most pervasive of all competing “gods” in our lives. And in today’s social media obsessed society, where reality TV has become the norm, and a comfortable, self-focused way of living is habitual…we’re becoming the monsters that we’ve helped create.

Growing up, I always heard about how this was the “Me First Generation.” I’d like to amend that to simply the “Me Generation.” Because by saying “Me first,” it implies that the person is even considering the other person that is going second. I think we’ve surpassed that and now it’s just me.

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And you can see this in everything from our advertisements – Google celebrating the selfie function of its phone, and with unlimited storage so you can hoard every precious selfie. — To how we live our lives.

The age at which people get married and have kids has dramatically shifted to later in life. Why? So that people can focus on themselves, and their career, and their travels, and free time, not wanting to be tied down or imposed upon by *gasp* another person.

And that’s not a judgment, hello – I’m in that boat, too. But it’s all just very…singular focused.

And it is a really tough aspect of life to navigate and try to escape. And I’m going to be really honest, it is something that I definitely struggle with: that idol of self.

And so listening to the homily, it really convicted me and made me reflect on…myself.

“Then repay …to God what belongs to God.” (Matt 22:21)

Everything I have — I — belong to God, and therefore, I need to be giving my life to Him. To His service. To helping His children.

That is how God wants us to live. Repay to God what belongs to God.

I think I can get too caught up in the scheduling and nit-pickiness of blogging to forget that that was and is the BBB mission: helping others overcome adversity – especially those struggling with eating disorders. That’s why I wrote my book. And that’s why I continue to write this blog.

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The (often over-)sharing of myself and my life and ideas – it all has to point back to that mission: helping God’s children, one beautiful soul at a time.

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As far as the other sources of conceitedness in my life, I think awareness is key. Every time I want to think about myself, I need to pause and turn it around…how does this effect someone else? 

How can I use my time or my resources for the betterment of someone other than myself?

How can I give? How can I listen? How can I serve?

I know Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I can take baby steps.

That, and banning the Kardashians from my Netflix queue.

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beautybeyondbones

BBB: Because we're all recovering from something. // For speaking/business inquiries: beautybeyondbones@yahoo.com

321 thoughts on “Take A Selfie? #narcissism”

  3. You had me worried for a second when I saw “Bengals/Steelers”. THANK YOU for not rooting for the Steelers! I’m originally from northern Ohio, so being raised with the Browns, I couldn’t cheer the Steelers on under extreme duress and always wonder about those that do (and I so enjoy your writing!). I’m fine with the Bengals because Paul Brown was the man and everyone looks great in orange! And besides, we can always be on the same sideline in Columbus (Go Buckeyes!), right?

    Besides all that – another great post!!

    Like

  5. Our parish priest, Fr. Larry Richards, taught us the true definition of JOY is J=Jesus, O=Others, Y=Yourself. By putting yourself 3rd you WILL HAVE true joy in your life. He encourages us to place this saying on our bathroom mirrors, so that every time we see our reflections we are reminded how very ‘least’ we should be. (I’d thought of attaching a selfie of our bathroom mirrors to share with you…but that seemed contrary to your lovely post. Giggles!) Blessings to you!

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  6. Hello BBB,

    This topic is very pervasive. It makes me stop and think about my actions and if my motives are right. Thank the Lord that we can keep giving upour selfish rights to Him instead on a daily basis. Keep fighting the good fight,

    Gary

    On Mon, Oct 23, 2017 at 4:03 PM BeautyBeyondBones wrote:

    > beautybeyondbones posted: “So you know how Google is coming out with a new > phone, and how they’re advertising it all over TV? (And no this isn’t an > ad…) But their main selling point is twofold: First, that there’s > unlimited photo storage, and secondly, that it can take a “selfi” >

    Like

  7. BAHAHAHA!! Sorry I have to laugh, my wife also watches the Khardasians, and since I am usually in their with her I have seen MORE than my fair share of episodes (Not to mention every episode of Sex in the City as well as Gilmore Girls over the years….

    But, as with anything, the selfie is a tool that serves a purpose, but can SO easily be over used. As a solo bike rider, I occasionally want to be in the picture as well. If no one is there a selfie! My wife and I on a beach or in the mountains alone want a photo together. (Shoot we did it back in the days of film cameras) In limited use selfies are good.

    That being said, I would not by the camera in the commercial because every time it comes on I get annoyed!

    great post!

    Like

    1. Hey again Tony!! You’re on a reading roll! thank you!! haha oh yeah — Gilmore Girls…every single episode. Some twice. Never Sex and the City — never got into that. I feel like most girls (and some fellas) my age live and breathe that show though! haha Yeah I agree – there’s a time and a place for a selfie…it’s just when it becomes an unhealthy obsession that it is a problem. Thanks for stopping by! Hugs and love xox

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Hi! I’ve only taken a selfie once, mostly because I don’t see a point to it. Especially the amount of selfies some people take a day. I agree with you that it is a problem, and can spread from one person to another if they are around each other for long enough.

    There’s a quote I remember that this reminds me of, “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.”

    Thank you for liking a post on my blog! This is the third blog I’ve tried. I’m encouraged by your support.

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  13. Omg yes!! Bravo, girl, you hit the nail on the head 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼. I think I’ve taken less than a dozen selfies in my life, mostly with a cat on me, because the cat was on me lol 😉😂❤️

    Agreed that narcissism is likely on the rise 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼. I would wager that it’s one of the most widespread and most common undiagnosed disorders out there 💚💙💜

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    1. Thanks so much Alaina! So glad that this resonated with you! Hahah love that about your cat! 😹😹😹Hugs and love xox

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      1. Thanks girl! It did indeed! Thank you for writing this post; I think it’s sort like this elephant in the room; interesting that narcissism has a bad rap (and I agree–it should!), and yet so many fail to see it in themselves 💚. Lol yeah, the cats are total cuties 😻🤗🐾❤️

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  15. i watch internet tv without ads, mainly for that reason…i find them insulting to my intelligence. Really appreciated your observations and willingness to share your personal journey…thanks

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    1. Thanks so much for this reflection. Haha an insult to your intelligence. Amen! I️ feel the same. Hugs and love xox

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  16. I actually really like this post, I’m going to share with my 11 year old who loves to do silly selfies on my phone. Although I don’t think it is vanity in her case, its something for her to think about.

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  18. I started blogging about two weeks ago. As I scrolled through my photos to find a pic to use for a blog post I became painfully aware that every picture I had of myself was a selfie and what made it worse was that every selfie had a filter on it 🤦🏽‍♀️ Now I must retrain myself all over again to love my face without the help of snapchat’s sprinkled cheeks, animal ears, and big lashes.

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    1. Hey friend! oh gosh, don’t worry! selfies themselves aren’t the problem at all! it’s just when it becomes and unhealthy obsession with the self that’s the issue. you’ve got nothing to worry about! 🙂 thanks for stopping by! hugs to you xo

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  19. Thank you for a very honest reflection and thought provoking discourse. I don’t remember to whom the quote is properly attributed but I do recall reading many years ago one that seems to be quite appropo: “Whoever is in love with themself with have very few rivals.”

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  20. I’m so glad I found your blog! This is awesome! And that damn ad… I remember seeing it and literally getting cringe-induced chills down my body every. Single. Time.
    Anyway, Generation Z here, and this definitely applies to us as well. Personally, I don’t like to take selfies, but I agonize over the aesthetic of my social media feeds way too much for it NOT to be narcissism…

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    1. Aw thank you so much! I’m so glad that our paths crossed too! Haha yeah i feel you about instagram. ~aesthetics~ haha hugs to you xox

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