Generation Vainity

In our society, it is hard not to see that the vast majority of the world has fallen victim to vanity and fame. Celebrities, social media, and other forms of propaganda are at an all time high promoting the narcissistic way of life. Media outlets like Snapchat and Instagram allow us to follow a favorite brand, reality TV star, model, or just some random person. For what? I'm not sure. Maybe looking at others and seeing just how good their life appears gives us some sort of voreristic pleasure. I've never seen so many people staring at their phones. Say good bye to magazines in waiting rooms, who needs those? We have our phones, which means we have any source of information available at our finger tips...literally. Unfortunately, we are not looking up charities to donate to, or seeing what exactly the Declaration of Independence means, or catching up on the latest news story. Instead, I see colleagues, friends, family, sales associates, waiters, etc looking at their own Facebook page. If not Facebook, then they are checking to see how many views their Snap story received. What does all this say about our society? 

If you have read my Lifestyle blogs then you know I am a firm believer in loving yourself. That's not to be confused with self obsession. When you love yourself whole heartily then you have no insecurities, you are one with the energy of the Universe which is love. You not only love yourself, but others as well. Therefore there is no need to check on your peers lives because you are content and happy with your own. The problem, well one of the many problems, with all these social media apps is that they are not real. They don't actually show the account holders real life. If it did then social media would have died a long time ago. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. They were all invented with the idea that we could become closer as a community. To share our lives with others. Only that's not how we treat it. We look at social media as a way to make our lives seem better than they are. To create a jealousy factor, you wish you were like me, so to speak. 

I don't want to bring up this family's name, but being so prevalent in todays influences especially our younger more impressionable generation, I almost have to. The Kardashians/Jenners. This is a family that ranges from late thirties to young teens (I'm talking about the kids only). All have self obsession, narcissistic, self motivating outlooks. They put their daily life out there for the world to see or criticize so I don't feel out of my element when I say they are all self promoting people. We don't hear about which charities they support. We don't see them writing books on ways to help others. We don't really see them do anything besides take pictures...of themselves! This way of life has created a wave of people who have no respect for work ethic, elders, society and the rules of it, the Earth, or politics. Why? Well, if you have ever seen the Kardashian show then you know that all they do is argue, call each other names, complain about a magazine shoot that didn't go their way, or yell at their mom. They promote the idea that working regular jobs is gross and for the poor. They cry about first world problems and yet they are one of the most influential families in America. How did we let this happen? Was it our choice? Or did their money driven managers and publishers push them down our throats? 

I know those in the public eye have a great deal of press around them and some use it for good. However, I don't see that being the case with most of the younger stars of today. Most come from billionaire families or famous actors, musicians, television hosts, etc. These are the kids of the baby boomer generation who have made it and made it big. They realize the impact they are having on the younger generation though social media outlets. I have a friend who is more than beautiful yet she has had a nose job, botox and lip injections all before the ripe age of twenty-five. Still with all that surgery it's not enough, she begs her mom everyday for a breast enhancement. Can you guess who her favorite person to follow on social media is? Ding Ding. Ding. You guessed it! Kylie Jenner. A girl that is ten years younger than her with absolutely no idea of how the world works.

Fourteen year olds wear belly tops, fake nails, contour their faces, and beg their parents for lip injections.  Kylie Jenner or Gigi Hadid have the sought after looks. Big eyes, plump lips, high check bones, flawless skin. Wow, did I just describe a Barbie doll? Even Barbie has changed their standards to a more realistic model.  A few of these teens and young adults have gone as far as to hurt themselves experimenting with the "Kylie Jenner Challenge". This challenge includes pursing your lips on the inside of a shot glass to create a vacuum like suction, depriving the lips of oxygen making them inflamed. All to attain fish like lips otherwise known as Kylie Jenner lips. Well, isn't that just a little desperate? No body talks about the amount of amount of money Kyle spent or the professional doctors that helped achieve this look. 

The problem isn't the Kardashian-Jenner clan or most young celebrities, it's the people who idolize them. Putting them on a pedestal making it seem like they are God Almighty, the royal family, the face of America. Most people who desire to be an actor or musician don't move to LA and go on auditions because of their love for thespian and entertainment arts. It's because they want the fame, money, praise, and status that comes along with it. Sure, there are still true definitive actors and musicians out there. They are just floating in a sea of wannabes, fakers, and followers. 

So how are we, millennials, suppose to fight this tacky image that has been bestowed upon us? We don't. We let it ride out until those of us who buy into this program realize that it's a dog chasing its tail mentality. We are perfect just the way we are. Soon we will stop idolizing people whose main goal in life is to acquire as much money and plastic surgery bills as possible. Then the next wave of young twenty somethings will make the same mistake we did and the generation before us and so on. Because, that's what it's like to be twenty something. Young and lost without a compass.

If you liked the piece please read my next piece on Twenty something's in 2016.