Here I go breaking form on my own special challenge. The thing is that as I tell my writers every week, it is most important to share the thing that most needs to get out of your head. Well, today I’m going to say something that might offend some, but when has that ever stopped me before?

While watching several documentaries about new gene technologies and “designer babies” I reflected on the idea of the importance we place on our projected selves in the U.S. We literally have apps for pitching and painting ourselves into “perfection”. 

This isn’t anything new. We’ve worked to adorn ourselves since the dawn of (wo)man and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that as long as you don’t allow it to warp your mind’s view of your own special beauty.

I’ll be honest, I’m not a big “makeup” girl. Never have been dedicated to the true art of painting myself to maximize the way light beams bounce along my watercasing. I admire those who have that talent because it is a wonderous merging of both art and science that baffles me.  

Therefore I give kudos to the programmer who figured out that rather than applying makeup to a real face, they could give people the tools to edit their photos that live on into eternity. However, in fine American (and I do mean U.S. Fashion) we took even that to extremes.

When we feel that every photos we post is in need of and edit, a filter, a retouch, what does that say about how we feel about our projected selves? Do I NEED enhancement to share a picture from the quick trip I took to the grocery store? Really?

Many people use these technologies responsibly, but some of us use these technologies obsessively.

I encourage you to consider what percentage of the time you edit your candid photos before you share them with others? Then ask yourself, is that edit necessary. You might surprise yourself. As for me, I think with today’s picture, I think I prefer my real face over my real face edited.

~ Marta C. Youngblood