Narcissism is the new black

A friend sent me the Daily Motion video of Timothee being **insert sympathy-inducing words** Timothee. It's a fascinating video with an incredible level of self-awareness. I couldn't stop thinking about it because it touches on something potent that has been plaguing my generation for years now: narcissism.

We live in the era of self-obsession. Most of our daily actions revolve around the most important person in our lives, the big "I", aka the self. We take pictures of ourselves, write about ourselves, talk about ourselves, boost ourselves up, tear ourselves down, and crave as much attention and validation as we can possibly squeeze into our waking hours. Thanks social media, thanks internet, thanks--mirrors?

What is community, if not a hashtag.

Humility is out and self-proclaimed brilliance is in. New year new me. It's all about leveling up. The more we can advertise/commodify/objectify ourselves, the more benefits we are apt to reap. If we can sell our worth well, we will garner more opportunities, platforms, and Cold. Hard. Cash (or direct deposits).

Narcissism: incentivize it and thou shalt never be broke again.

Celebrity culture is attainable for anyone (but mostly nepotism babies) who is willing to sell their (soul) self on the market. And when someone becomes "celebrity" we are at first made to believe they are a gift from god. And as soon as the facade fades and we're like, wait--they're very whatever, I'm not impressed--REBRAND TIME.

Q1: gift from god

Q2: I'm just like you

Our hearts go out to the anxious, self-deprecating, insecure, celebrities. The ones who feels like it's never enough as they dust off their awards shelf and schedule their next meet-and-greet. The ones who feel like they're never enough as they compare their own meager A-list status to the A-listers people seem to like more. The ones who struggle with feelings of comparison, loneliness, rejection. It's almost like they're... regular people? Who are experiencing the same shit we all experience? Well, sans the awards, creative job security, and millions of dollars.

Relatability is a powerful thing, it allows us to access more understanding and connect on a deeper level. Of course everyone experiences similar feelings, we are all human. But, imagine a world where people acknowledged their privilege and, I don't know, stepped off of their faux self-effacing pedestal for a moment to, I don't know, actually do something with the power and influence they've been awarded. Imagine if they were like, I don't know, grateful for their opportunities and used their spare time to help boost up others who may not have that same cushy life.

Examples:

-Instead of spending 20 minutes scrolling through Instagram, flipping through fashion magazines, or staring at the things that make you a fucking human being (wrinkles, sun spots, gray hair, soft parts of your body), you could nurture your mind and read an actual book. Learn something. Your body will decay as you age, get over it.

-When someone you know accomplishes something, be happy for them. You don't need to have what other people have. The world is burning to the ground and we all die in the end. There's a chance you'll never accomplish anything, wouldn't it be better to be happy with other people instead of comparing and diving headfirst into misery? Misery is an ugly color on you.

-If you're rich and famous, look elsewhere for sympathy. The masses are busy trying to put food on the table and get their kids through college. No one has time to watch you cry, also stop crying, your botox will melt.

-Resist the urge to manifest. It's not real and it doesn't work. If you try to tell me it does, I'd like for you to explain genocide to me. Did they manifest that? -_- Use that 30 minute candle-burning session to go outside and buy a meal for someone hungry. Look at that: REAL ACTION THAT ACTUALLY HELPS PEOPLE. Your dreams are invisible clouds, welcome to adulthood.

-Stop trying to prove your worth with achievement. We all have the attention spans of flies now, so whatever you accomplish will be forgotten moments later. Do things because you like doing them and shut the fuck up about it. You're starting to sound like a chipmunk.

We have got to get over this narcissism thing, it's starting to take a toll on me, you, everyone, the earth. There will be no earth to be famous on soon. Let's all get over ourselves, put down the mirrors, and make actual use of our time. Might we leave this world... better... than... we... found... it...

#actor #actorslife #supermodel #likeforlike #fans #mentalhealth #newyearnewme