All summer we’ve been plagued by the old filter. It seems that all the work we’ve done to learn to like ourselves was undone by the idea we might actually have to like ourselves when our youth and beauty fade. The self esteem we’ve all been trying to build up in the face of capitalism, vanished when we no longer had the armor of our faux amis, tight skin and bright eyes. I was shocked and disappointed that everyone felt comfortable talking like that about themselves. No one could even pretend. I thought if nothing else, all the Buzzfeed feminism we inherited taught us to at least pretend to be confident in the face of aging.
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I’m not interested in scolding anyone for their behavior because I know that won’t work. It’s embarrassing to have low self esteem. It’s a lowest common denominator thought to think you’ll be ugly when you’re old, and for so many people to post like that unchallenged made me realize how many of the role models we’ve created online are just as self conscious as their flock. Personally, I would never take advice from someone with lower self esteem than me, and I’m not afraid of a TikTok filter.
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