This post is also available in: Español (Spanish)
Are you ready for the photo? Have you ever seen those old photos where people used to pose almost identically no matter who they were? Well, of course the poses were pretty similar since cameras were huge and only a few people (usually professional photographers) had access to them. Under those conditions, it’s no wonder taking a family picture was an event.
Whenever I look at my grandparents’ pictures, I always imagine all the preparation they had to do to be able to get a photo. I didn’t grow up in that particular time. When I was growing up, we had cameras at home. Of course, they weren’t digital; they required photographic film. Yes! We needed to wait to see the pictures, and to be able to do so, we had to go to a special store where they processed the film and printed the actual photographs. We never had any idea how the photos would look until they were printed. Ahhh, the good old days! They were fun, and we used to be more patient. 🤣 We didn’t have any other option!
I love pictures! I really do! They’re a nice, physical form for our memories. Pictures are my only way of knowing what my grandparents looked like because I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting them in person. I have a million different reasons to consider pictures one of the greatest inventions of all time. However, the reason I decided to write about pictures today is simply to reflect on the way our society is pushing us from one extreme to another when it comes to the pictures we decide to show the world through social media.
I have personally experienced all the social media pressures when it comes to posting pictures. I’ve been the person who only posted professional pictures because … hello … they look really nice, and I’ve also been the person who simply takes a picture and posts it because I wanted to have it there. It’s true that your social media is yours, and you can post whatever you want there (or I guess whatever they approve, since according to Instagram showing your shoulders is considered nudity 🤔). But in my humble opinion, when you post something there, you have to truly understand that it’s a public space. People are going to see it, and you have to be okay with whatever that means.
If you don’t want people talking about your life and your pictures, then the solution is simple: Don’t post them. I promise I’m not being rude; I’m simply saying that social media is a public space, and if you like playing there, you have to be aware of everything that comes with it. People will always have an opinion … about everything. If you post professional pictures, some people will say that you’re not a model and that’s vanity. If you post pictures that are NOT professional but are real ones of when you were having fun with family and friends, you’ll have people saying you should get a better phone because your pictures look awful. If you post pictures with your children, some people will say that’s dangerous, but if you don’t show your kids, others will say, “They must be ugly because she never shows them.”
Public spaces come with people’s opinions. No filter can stop that. Showing the world what we like and/or what we do opens the door to external opinions whether we like it or not. I respect real people. I truly love seeing real (i.e., not filtered) pictures from people who are happy to share them. I also respect people who take the time to make sure that whatever they’re posting looks nice. When I’m on social media, I know I’m navigating a public space, and it’s my responsibility to swim around it from a place of love.
I was once someone who played the mean judge, and I promised myself I’d never go back to being that person again. I don’t like her anymore. I have compassion for my past self, and I understand the reasons behind my old ways of being, but at this point I feel so much better when I approach life from a place of love. Now, let me be clear. Although I do my best to make sure I left the judgments behind, they still come and go from time to time. So, when I start noticing the annoying judge wanting to make an appearance, I immediately go and check my own real, raw pictures, and from there I ask myself, “Do you really have anything to say about others?” Usually, the answer is, “Nope!”
I made a promise to myself to respect all types of pictures that make their way to the public view (obviously, with the owner’s consent). I’m still learning that we’re all are here doing the best we can to live a happy life with what we have. My life’s puzzle pieces are different from yours, but we both are working the best we can to put them together. What I can tell you with total confidence is that every time I swim around my social media with the intention to respect all efforts and use my heart instead of my head, I feel lighter and happier.
So, say cheese my friends! Take the pictures that make you happy! Post them if that makes you happy. Use your social media as a tool to connect yourself to the sense of community that makes us better humans. And let’s not forget to be grateful for living in this amazing time where we can take as many pictures as we want just with the touch of a finger!
Love,
Irene
