There's an element of narcissism to any personal blog. (Some might say "introspection", but I think "narcissism" fits.) That aspect is particularly pronounced in a style diary. For example, this post contains six photos of me, and I'm somewhat restrained compared to many fashion bloggers. (To be clear, I don't think that makes me better than them. I'm just sayin'.)
Is it bad to focus on yourself? The word "narcissism" implies a shame-worthy excess of self-interest, but I don't know if I believe in that as a phenomenon. (The clinical kind of narcissism, NPD, is a whole different thing.) It is the nature of human existence to be primarily concerned with one's own affairs. That's how people are; how we were built to survive.
All that musing to justify the number of selfies I take...
These roses were very pretty, but they smelled like nothing. I checked:
cute outfit! Stopping by from UBC.
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures and beautiful flowers! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI think narcissism has a negative connotation unnecessarily. As you said, we all care about ourselves to a degree, and I think our generation has just learned to be more blatant about it because of the technology we have at hand. But anyway, you look beautiful. The bow tie and shoes may be my favorite parts of this ensemble!
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Didn't someone say, "the rise of selfies is just 'cause we have more cameras" or something to that effect? And thank you!
Deletei just adore your style....
ReplyDeleteThey may have smelled like nothing, but the closeup shot of them is beautiful! I love flowers! And I didn't even count the number of selfies, I just enjoyed the post!
ReplyDeleteHaha, thank you! I also love flowers. I've taken about three million macro shots of them.
DeleteYou need to choose different words. Narcissism doesn't 'imply' excess, it means excess. But not an excess in self-interest, but in your appearance. Introspection is an exploration of who you are.
ReplyDeleteSelf-interest is also a negative word. It means you have no interest in others, and you would disregard their well-being for your own. Instead you might choose to not use 'self-interest' but 'ambition' or 'determined.'
It's easy enough to justify our bad habits. But there's a better way. Don't try to add a positive spin to negative words and emotions. Choose different words.
Language is fluid and ever-changing. The definitions of words aren't static; they shift according to how people use them. If you want to get technical about it, any definition is merely an implication, because a collection of sounds can't have an intrinsic meaning. Perception is everything.
DeleteI’m a little perplexed by what you’re saying. I hope you didn’t misunderstand my comment as having malicious intent. It was merely a suggestion for what I believe would make for better, more positive self-perception.
DeleteObviously there is no intrinsic meaning to sounds, hence the vast number of languages. But in order for society to function, and in order for communication to be effective, we put meaning to sounds. But to try to banish specific meaning to words we use to express thoughts and emotions… that is a scary proposition!
You can use positive, reinforcing vocabulary, or you can try to change modern English. Whatever is easier for you!
Also, didn't mean to be anonymous.
DeleteThanks for your thoughts.
DeleteTechnically, I tend to think a style diary like yours is so directed towards the clothes/accessories themselves that narcissism is doing yourself a disservice! :-D
ReplyDeleteWe're all blogging because we want to be heard, yes, but remember that Narcissus was obsessed with himself to the exclusion of all else, to the point where it killed him. Somehow, I don't think you're quite there yet, and I have faith that you never will be ;-)
Also, cute dress, gorgeous lighting!
I've always felt bad for Echo, the nymph who was in love with Narcissus. And yes, I hope I'll never literally drown in self-obsession, haha! It seems unlikely so far. Knock on wood!
DeleteIt's interesting that you bring this up, because to me it doesn't seem odd at all that someone would post a bunch of pictures of themselves in a style blog. However, when I first started doing it I felt like I was doing something so vain that it was punishable. It's weird how it worked in my mind. The more I did it, the better I felt about it, though. For someone who isn't that confident or sure of myself, I felt like it was a mental therapy of sorts to dress my best and look my best. When I used to blog, I would never post pictures of myself. It's a very foreign thing for me to be doing now, but I like the connection it can potentially establish with other bloggers (like you). I hope this makes sense. My brain is kind of foggy since I am sick.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense to me, and I agree with you. My experience--over time, not specifically with this blog--has been similar. I actually started style blogging as a self care activity!
DeleteStyle is fun and expressive. I love fashion blogs. If that means I love narcissists so be it!
ReplyDeleteHahaha, me too! Viva la vanity!
DeleteThat's the happiest smile I've seen you wear in a long time. ~twirls you in all your glory~ You worry too much, my sweet. You're beautiful and we enjoy watching you. (but not in a pervy way) You're also creating a community and working through thoughts and emotions that are deeper than, 'pretty gold bow!' Although that bow is pretty fetching.
ReplyDeleteThank you Karen! This comment made my night <3
DeleteJust jacked off to these pictures
ReplyDelete