Taking Pictures of Yourself In the Mirror is _______

What started as a way for self absorbed adults to showcase their supposedly "hawt" bodies online in order to attract attention and get laid, is now a growing epidemic among recently sprouting teens. It seems that every kid online has a picture of themselves, taken by themselves, with their camera phone, in the mirror. Some even have a few "albums" with several photos of pictures they took of themselves making different faces. Cute? No, it's insane. For some reason these kids think it's normal. And that's generation Z (the internet generation) for ya.

Here's my personal theory on how this all originated: Back in the 1990's when the internet was first becoming popular & these kids were just being born, men and women alike realized that if they pile on enough makeup or flex their stomach in the right lighting, they could appear more attractive than usual in a fuzzy, online photo. If they stick socks in their bra and crop half of their face out of the frame, it would be completely artificial, but still pass as "super cute" and they might even score an online date. Woo-hoo! Fast forward a couple years and along come digital cameras and camera phones. Now you can view yourself before you snap the picture and erase the ones where you look totally not cute. If your camera phone doesn't have a screen, you have to look at yourself in a mirror & then snap the pic in order to get something pretty. You don't have to actually be pretty, or know much about anything to get this to work for you. What a great invention!

So the internet is booming and these kids are hitting puberty, so they whip out the web cams and cell phones because they are fascinated with their new "developments." (LOL). All of a sudden, kids are passing for young adults, taking inappropriate pictures, and publicly disgracing themselves. And then Miley Cyrus takes a pic of herself showing her stomach and all goes to hell. It's like these kids are obsessed with doing this. And when you can't think for yourself, you look to others to tell you what's "cool" or "normal." They think that's normal and they also think it makes them look cool. And unfortunately for them, their awkward self discovery years are permanently online for all to see. This generation of kids is proving to me that playing with a cell phone, immediately following the Speak-N-Say, isn't exactly producing independent, well-rounded citizens here. I know I'm being a little harsh, considering they are kids and most kids are immature... but it seems that regular access to the internet at a young age (when your brain is still developing) is making it easier for kids to whore themselves out and choose conformity over individuality. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

If your online profile picture is of you taking a picture of yourself in the mirror, you are more than likely: not creative, a follower, self absorbed, desperate for attention, immature, vain, etc.

Hopefully, they will all grow out of it and prove me wrong! So what do you think? Taking pictures of yourself in the mirror is ____________.

xoxo