Do you believe many people in the world probably had less self esteem issues before cameras existed?

[Anonymous]

Updates

1 y

A lot of people say they think they look better in morris than cameras

Updates

1 y

Mirrors

[Lliam]

That's a really good question.
I don't think it was cameras per se. Cameras initially captured images of normal people.

But I think the advent of moving pictures in theaters contributed. Hollywood would make certain people stars and promote them as the most ideal examples of handsome or beautiful. People bought the hype.
At the same time celebrity and fashion magazines began promoting images of beauty to women with advertisements in order to sell beauty products. Naturally, the models were particularly beautiful based on the beauty standards of the times. Men's tastes were effected and women tried to be like those beauty icons.

It's funny now to look back at some of those iconic images from the past 100+ years.

Magazines became more sophisticated over time with color photos. They promoted movie stars, fashion models and beauty contest winners.

Then TV came along and TV commercials used beautiful women to sell everything from booze, cigarettes and cars to cologne, shampoo, clothes and beauty products.

Playboy Magazine had photos of women that had been highly airbrushed to make them unrealistically flawless.

Now we have cell phones and the internet making it so that we can see photos of people from around the world, rate them for attractiveness, and judge ourselves.
The search for perfection has become completely unrealistic. And I think, yes, it has resulted in lower self esteem for many. We now have people getting plastic surgery and other body modifications in an effort to become some unrealistic image of perfection. They are trying to compete with caricatures.

[abc3643]

I won't say definitely, but perhaps. Even before there was social media and photographs, people (women, really) were looking at each other and were catty or, in today's parlance, "judgmental" about things like appearance. Certainly so in more affluent society. This mentality is no different than today. The only things that photographs do is capture someone's image. It wasn't until the Internet and social media that this obsession with self-appearance exploded. Still, it was always there a bit primarily among females because it is part of their nature.

[FreyaRed]

Cameras are about appearance but lack of self esteem isn't always about appearance.

[Sonorous]

I think that people had better self-esteem before we became more connected & could see just how many people look better than us out there. Like before, there were obviously local people who looked better than the rest. But it only extended so far. It stayed relatively local. But now, we can log onto the internet & see like 20,000,000 hot people just existing genomically better than us.

[Purpleronnie]

Indirectly , cameras produce images but it’s how those images are portrayed that ‘may’ impact self esteem. Having images displayed as the ‘look’ or ‘true beauty’ because of the way it ‘could’ be understood by those that may already be comparing themselves in that way.


Camera’s are not the link here though , In my opinion it’s how these images are portrayed online and through social media , it’s manipulative and damaging

[MannMitAntworten]

No. Not remotely. Cameras having been around since the 19th century I don’t see any evidence of this. This self-esteem thing didn’t become an issue (most specifically within the United States) till within the last 10 to 15 years. Cameras had already been around quite a long time before that.

[blackeagle007]

It’s Hollywood that’s giving us these ideas in terms of our appearances. TMZ and other crap focuses a lot on celebrities.

[NicholasRedone]

No there would always be self esteem issues 🤪🤪🤪 blame the brain

[jshm2]

No. If you have low self-esteem, a camera isn't going to make a difference.

[beefcakebradybatson]

Likely, though cameras or not, I'm STILL cover boy handsome !!!

[MemeSupreme]

ehhh i think it was just different but not less

[MikeTheBartender]

Abso-fucking-lutely

[DrPepper12]

No. Our identity of self is VERY fragile!!

[noohair]

I think the opposite is true.

[Anonymous]

They still had mirrors

[jimmy2]

Before cells phone came in

[Dargil]

Yes, I do.

[Staximus]

I would agree

[RedInnocent69]

Probably