A deeper meaning behind selfie culture
Friday, September 29, 2017 Tuesday, October 03, 2017
While Filipina celebrity, Arci Muñoz is still hounded by rumors of cosmetic surgery, online sensation Marlou Arizala, 20, on Sunday finally revealed his new look, weeks after undergoing his own operation.
For weeks, Arizala, who now goes by the name Xander Ford, teased fans with his new appearance. Consequently, the netizens went crazy.
It can be recalled that he was frequently the target of jokes and mockery by netizens because of what they perceive as his deficit in the looks department.
His “transformation” set social media on fire late Sunday night, with some netizens expressing amusement as to how much he has changed.
Others, meanwhile, lamented with criticisms and disrespectful accusations.
Remember when the artist formerly known as Charice adopted his new name and sent out his first tweet, a few months ago? It should have been recognized as a powerful moment where a young and renowned Filipino personality, who had lived the first 25 years of his life as a female, claimed his true identity as Jake Zyrus.
It might be 2017, but somehow lots of reactions weren’t entirely pleasing. I am convinced that there should no longer be a stigma associated with plastic surgery of any form. An enhanced appearance and “going out” is something to be shown off to the world, and there’s no shame in ’fessing up to going under the knife, as long as the means and reasons are right.
I won’t argue against any moral or medical citation, but I’m here to say that regardless if it’s because of celebrity culture or social media, people, not only millennials, have every right on God’s green earth to access technology and enjoy the freedom to address physical flaws (whether through the knife or photo filters) and, as a result, build their self-confidence and individuality.
Yes, we do have our rights to voice out our opinions, but there are people out there who equally deserve to be respected.
Don’t let fear or insecurity stop you from being you. Do what you love. And most importantly, be kind to others, even if you don’t like them.
After all, we’re living in the “selfie era.”
Stay Active until our next chat!
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SEVERAL years ago, the Washington Post called the Philippines as the “only Christian nation in Asia,” but in one of its edition, it also mentioned that our country is a “nation of cheats!” Such statement is an oxymoron: Chr i st i an-cheat er.
While such claim is unfounded, we are not unmindful of the alleged past election frauds and corruptions in government and private sectors antithetical to the identity of being a Christian nation. Intrinsic to this must be the lack of which is defined as the sense of deep respect mixed with wonder, fear, and love to God. Consequently, as long as the Philippines lacks reverence, regardless of being a Christian nation, it will always be plagued by all forms of evil. As Toba Beta, the famous Indonesian economist, said, “Reverence reduces hostility.”
Simply put, to be identified as a Christian nation, it must go beyond mere adage and the key to which is to always live in reverence. God is emphatic of this when He