Lately, we've all become "Emma Bovary." Like Gustave Flaubert's heroine, we crave beauty, wealth, passion, and a ticket into high society that are, for the most part, well above our means. We exhibit Bovarysme through Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, feeding our social circle radiant pictures of lives, in perfect color and exquisitely framed.
A quick scroll through our feed shows friends having a blast -- looking beautiful, decked out in the latest and trendiest, posing in amazing locales and global hotspots -- making the scroller feel as miserable as Emma must have felt before diving into her misadventures.
A study from Boston University has connected rising divorce rates to time spent on Facebook. Not surprising.
Selecting and storing memories in frames and photo albums for posterity is an exercise most parents lovingly did, holding on to, and exalting our childhoods. What's changed, with the ease of technology, is the amount of pictures we take, the immediacy in which its done, and the use and abuse of filters.
Street style and selfies are our new diaries. And they aren't going anywhere, anytime soon. Instead of wasting ink encouraging you to be 'in the moment,' and put away your cellphones, I'm going to, instead, give you a few tips to help you look your best for these impromptu photo shoots:
•Smile, relax your shoulders, and focus on how great you feel and look.
There's nothing more mesmerizing than a killer smile!
•Look into the camera as you would into the eyes of a loved one.
•Dress as extreme as you want, but never look disguised.
•Your best pose is one that shows how at ease you are with your look.
To achieve that, shift your weight to one leg and separate your feet slightly ; that will give dimension to your posture.
•Look natural.
•When someone is taking your picture, line up your body so you're not facing the camera straight on (you'll look slimmer) and make sure the light is in front of you, not over your head, which can create shadows under your eyes.
•Have fun! Dynamic photos are so much more interesting than posed ones.
•Shoot selfies at a low angle -- it gives you length
•If you're uncomfortable, close your eyes for a few seconds and then open them right before taking the photo. You'll exude an air of calm.
•Avoid the phone flash at all costs.
Go out into the world, whip out your phone and try these tips. I'll be waiting for your next posts. Let's keep Emma Bovary brewing black in her book. Life is so colorful and fun. Grasp it and share it!