Ask Narcissus –
August 21, 2109 – “The preoccupation with putting the right image into the world, and taking the right picture, means that you’re making your external self the focus of what matters,” clinical therapist and eating disorder specialist, Kyla Fox, the founder of the Kyla Fox Centre in Toronto, ON, tells Bustle. It becomes more central than trying to learn how to connect to what’s internal, and learning how to cultivate real connection to yourself and to others.
“What also happens is that the world connects to the external images more than the actual person themselves,” Fox says. But there is an endless distance there, and that can be damaging. The selfies we post online are, no matter what, falsified images that do the disservice of making us think we know each other.
It’s worth noting that the easy agency afforded to you when you have a camera and a platform is a powerful thing. You’re the direct source of information, with the option of not only showing yourself as you are, but as you want to be seen. The attention you get as a result of selfies can feel really good — be it emotional, sexual, or otherwise. It’s a form of connection and validation literally at your fingertips.
