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I think that this is a great 21st century work of satire. The medium used, including its venue (meaning, the Web), are appropriate for such a commentary on the perils of the digital age. “Why eat healthy and exercise when you can just look like you do”
and “you don’t have to rely on a healthy body image or self-respect anymore” are things that we might not say outright, nonetheless we do or think them unconsciously. A reason behind it is the place for our social engagements has been radically transformed. We now meet online, where we can hide behind icons and pictures, all of which are easily alterable. Our personalities can also change with one click. Our values, as well.Adjusting one’s race on 1:12 is also a sharp criticism on how forces behind the magazines we purchase continue to propagate a condescending attitude towards other colors and races. Here in the Philippines alone, people are crazy for skin-whitening products and treatments. Since the time of the Spanish colonization, mestizos have been considered ‘superior’, and yet fast forward almost 500 years and we still adore celebrities who appear on gigantic billboards endorsing the magic behind their white and flawless skin.
There are many ways by which we can change ourselves according to the standards of the society. That includes the physical, tangible aspect, as well as virtual (creepy!!!). But my question to you today is, who are you really? Underneath those alterations and augmentations, have you anything that lasts more than trends? Have you a sense of self that you can truly call yours? Or is everything that you are an effect of shameless and unceasing plugs and advertisements that promise quick-fix kind of ‘self-improvement’ in exchange for the preservation of the superior position of the dominant forces? Is there a character pruned, sharpened, honed and made more beautiful through the tests of time, behind that the pretty picture and sculpted body?
I am not completely against aesthetic improvement, but I do hope that before we submit ourselves into an operation, a pill, or even just the clicks and strokes that we do all those hours that we spend in front of the computer, that we will first ask the critical questions that lead to informed answers. Do not be ignorant about many things, specially those concerning the person that you can control the most, that is, yourself. You have the choice, and more often than not, the truest and lasting things in life are those that do not coincide with the majority who are held under the sway of a few, invisible, and unconcerned forces.
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