I sat in the food court at the mall yesterday and watched an eight or nine-year-old girl and her baby sister, who couldn’t have been more than three, posing for selfies at a table, the smaller girl mimicking her “older” sister’s every pouty, hopefully sensual grimace. They finally became aware of the fact that I was photographing them photographing themselves and they shifted chairs, turning their backs to me, but went on for another few minutes, determining the face they wanted to turn to the world by what they saw reflected in the older sister’s phone.
Selfie Generation
I like a crinkly sort of smile
that lacks a single trace of guile.
Smiles sinister are not my thing,
nor are the polar chills they bring.
Selfies contain In their morass
little I might label class.
Sexy smiles, much composed
of postured puckers, planned and posed.
Babies imitate their sisters,
miming come-ons to strange misters
who might stumble on their page
that online might become the rage.
They learn the lingo and the walk.
Mime the postures, talk the talk.
Mindful of how they come and go,
everything done for the show.
Prompt words today are morass, sinister, crinkle, polar, talk and come.
lifelessons - a blog by Judy Dykstra-Brown 
It’s a totally different world we live in these days, and I’m not sure that I like a lot of it…
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It certainly is a selfie generation, that’s for sure! I am reminded of how my parents used to be so disturbed by the long hair, and how we dressed, wondering how we would turn out without the guidance of our former social expectation. I can only hope that this selfie generation can eventually look inward and embrace it really matters in themselves, and in relationships with others.😊
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I hope the same, Mia, but I’m afraid this era of “How it looks” being more important than “What it really is” has seeped so solidly into politics that things will never be the same.
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That’s the saddest thing for me, Judy. We have a generation growing up determined to be seen and become known to many people. People put their children on here and they seem to be able to pose at the drop of a hat. It’s so sad to think we are raising kids whose sense of value and worth comes from how many likes or views obtained. Social media to me is bad for everyone. We can barely talk face to face anymore. Rant is over!
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I KNOW I am not going to know where this leads, but I have been mildly disgusted by the evolution of the cell phone mirror. I saw a little girl in a short Tik-Tok video giving advice to people she’d clearly been prompted to give. She should have been playing with toys or friends or reading a book or dreaming dreams, not her mom’s “show.” I don’t like it.
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Ahh – the long years of the ‘selfie’ which I have never, really, adjusted to thinking ‘necessary’ – 😀 But, long ago, a bloggy pal from far away from, posted her daughter’s artistic version of selfie, which she named, ‘self feet’ – I STILL! To this day! All these years later???
Think the Self-Feet trend was probably overall more useful than ‘selfies’ are – but, then, I’m biased – cuz, ya know?
Out of the artistic minds, hands and mouths of ‘babes’ – Here’s the FIRST time ‘Self-Feet” hit my radar: https://newbloggycat.com/2014/11/07/joke-of-the-day-selfie/
And here’s my attempt, while trying to ‘catch up on reading’ to aide in the Self-Feet trend ‘catching on’ – a dismal failure, simply cause, I’m always late to the party and not an influencer, doncha know?? 😀
https://ballybin.wordpress.com/2015/04/28/workin-selfeet/
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I am very fond of selfeets and have published a number myself. I tried to post my favorite here but they won’t accept photos in comments..Too bad.
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I will get over my hump of ‘not having lots of time to read’ and I’ll cruise through your cyber space to find! I do those things, as long as someone leaves me a bread crumb trail to follow! I just don’t always do it as fast as folks think I will! Thanks for leaving the breadcrumb trail to follow when I can chillax, have power, internet service and my ‘work’ for living is sorta caught up and/or I think, “To heck with it! I need to take a reading/connection break for the next 48 hours or more…!”
My life – it Is What it Is! And I’m so ever far behind on even RECENT posts here! Sigh – sigh – sigh –
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I know the feeling. For some reason, retired life seems much busier than my work life. perhaps it just takes me longer to do things? My favorite foot photo was published in the past few months. It is a Croc sandle hanging off my big toe off the side of the hammock. How’s that for a crumb??? Reward for finding it..
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Oh dear, oh dear
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What I find troubling is promoting very early, immature sensuality. Selfies only imitate what these little girls see online, in their supposedly appropriate shows and games. I find it appalling, and I am concerned about the way my youngest granddaughter is growing up, immersed in this trash.
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I know. I feel the same.
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😻
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