Continuing in my observations of my Facebook experience, I’ve noticed something else beyond just the collision of worlds; Facebook interactions often lead to self-reflection on physical attributes. In other words,
People want to see what you look like. You can’t hide physical features like on a traditional forum environment; there’s a strong pressure to post pictures of not only who you were (because most of your friends on Facebook are going to be people in the past), but who you are now. In my case, the who I am now could probably eat the who I was then for breakfast.
As a side note, I have noticed that most of the women I went to high school with have aged very well; if they were cute at 16, they’re beautiful now. Most of the men… well, let’s just say that I’m not the only one who didn’t hold up well over the years 🙂
A focus on the physical is not necessarily a bad thing; while part of me is now increasingly self-conscious about the fact that I have changed over the years, that self-consciousness may save my life. When I graduated high school, I weighed 120 lbs; college, 130. First Master’s? 180 (I had started working out, and was in pretty good shape at that point). Three years ago, (after long since ceasing regular physical exercise) I crossed the 300 pound mark. I started having some health issues, and I’ve been working out since then, and am now at 260. Looking at my friends on Facebook, I’m determined I’m going to get down to 220 by the time of my high school reunion (in August; 5 months). Facebook’s focus on the physical is going to be my motivation.
I realize that my true friends from high school don’t care that “there’s more of me to love”, and that an obsession over looks can be unhealthy, but I’m trying to put a positive spin on this; I need to get healthy. Seeing my friends that have been successful at that over the years is inspiring, and I want to be a part of that.
