If people aren't talking about the royal baby this week, they're talking about Geraldo Rivera's misguided sexy pic, and opinions are running wild. Some are crying "ageism" towards those criticizing the photo while others are simply disgusted, but one thing is for sure: Whatever response Rivera was hoping for, he certainly hasn't gotten it. Based on social media chatter, there really isn't a single person on this green planet who wanted to see Rivera's right and tight bod, which has caused backlash for the man himself, and the art form of the selfie. After all, the way some young folks could see it, if we've reached a point in which people our grandparents' age are on that selfie grind, is it time to abandon the selfie completely?
The selfie has certainly enjoyed its heyday. We've seen more duckfaces, wannabe candids, and mirror body shots than we can count. We have had to delete Facebook acquaintances due to an unfortunate overabundance of face, but the selfie has remained strong. Even those of us making a stand against the selfie had lost hope in the face of strong opposition. However, we have to ask ourselves: Is the selfie really relevant anymore if everyone is doing it?
Trends are dictated by the need to always be doing something new — something your parents or older siblings don't know anything about. But as much as young camera whores loved the selfie, it seems like Rivera's jutting hip bones were just the thing to bring the selfie down (as admittedly impressive as his body was).
Because every time your guido boyfriend sends you a pic of him flexing in the mirror, all you'll see is the sad mustache and towel combo of Rivera's pic, which was posted when, according to the newsman himself, he was drunk and lonely following a TV shoot. Every time you go to pout into the lens of your smartphone, you'll realize that, just like Rivera, you're probably just drunk and lonely too. Geraldo Rivera's selfie sums up the issues with selfies in general — they're vain, they're usually not super flattering, and you really only take them when you're by yourself. And that's kind of sad, isn't it? Goodbye selfie, welcome back... real photography?
