
SELFIE
Who here takes selfies? Honestly, that is not even a question… I know literally everyone has taken a selfie or takes them on a regular basis. Selfies are way for us to self-express, self-represent, self-author, as well as see ourselves. We do this on social media, blogs, other things on the internet, and for ourselves. It shows people who we are and what we aspire to be, and allows us to feel good about ourselves when the pictures are taken at the best angles.
Personally, I tend to take pictures of the side of my face and my eyes. Just as the eye allows us to see ours and others’ selfies, it also serves as a basic structure to define our thinking while taking a selfie. In studying the model of the eye, I have realized the many reasons behind the selfies I take on a normal basis.
There are many parts to the eye, but each is vital in allowing us to see, and each part of the eye also connects to taking a selfie. I will begin by describing each part forming the structure of the eye. The first layer of the eye is the cornea, which serves as a protective layer of the eye as well as an entry of light into the eye. The next layer of the eye is the anterior chamber filled with the aqueous humor. It is the space between the cornea and the lens and the aqueous humor is a clear liquid inside causing the refraction of light. The next layer of the eye is the iris, which is a colored muscle that determines the amount of light received by the eye (changes the size of the pupil). The next layer is the ciliary body, which can be associated with the iris. It is an extension of the iris, produces aqueous humor, and holds the ciliary muscle, which changes the shape of your lens. When focusing on a specific object, your lens has to change shape so you can see that object based on whether it is near or far away. The next part of the eye is the pupil, which is the black hole you see in the eye, allowing light to enter the posterior chamber. The lens is the next layer of the eye, which is ultimately a clear, curved ball that focuses light onto the retina. The next layer of the eye is the vitreous humor, which is a clear liquid, like the aqueous humor, that fills the space between the lens and the retina, allowing the eyeball to keep its shape. The last two layers of the eye are the retina and the sclera. The retina receives the light projected onto it by the lens and converts that light into neural signals sent to the optic nerve. The sclera forms the white of our eyes, which is a tough fibrous tissue protecting the entire outside of the eye. Just as there are many layers of the eye, there are many actions to take a selfie.
There are sooo so many specific components that allow an eye to see, just as there are many tactics and reasons to taking selfies. The paragraph above is a lot to swallow, but connecting it to taking selfies will make it more understandable. The protective layers of the eye, the sclera and cornea, are like the protection we hold for ourselves. The world is a scary place and the people in it are even scarier, holding judgments against others. As we take selfies, we do not show the world exactly who we are; we show the world what we want them to see, which is protecting our inner ego from the hurt of judgement of our true selves. The supporting layers of the eye, the aqueous and vitreous humor, allow us to see by supporting the structure of the eye. In a way, the editing we do to our selfie photos is like these substances. It gives our photos a certain structure that would not be upheld without editing. The iris, ciliary muscle, pupil, and lens all work together to refract light and project an image onto the retina. This relates to our preparation of the photo and the decision of whether to post or not to post. It may also relate to more editing of the photo if we are not quite fond of what we see, such as adjusting light exposure. The last component to allowing us to see is the job of the retina; it changes light energy into neural signals, so our brain can comprehend what we are seeing. This connects to the actual posting of our selfie image. It happens quickly, but it takes a few seconds before it is posted and seen by others, just as it take a moment for the energy to be transformed from light to neural signals. From then on, we must wait and comprehend the reflection given by others, as they understand the selfies we post in their own way.
I would finally like to take all the information I have just shared with you and relate it back to myself and the images that are shared along with this post. I chose these specific images to represent the type of selfies I tend toward. I usually take pictures of the side of my face (as shown in the collage above) and try to capture one of the most important aspects of myself, MY EYES. I PROTECT my ego by taking selfies of the side of my face, and by not showing the world my entire, vulnerable face. I do, however, feel confident about my eyes. I do edit a lot of my pictures, such as using snapchat filters in some of the images in the collage, which underlies the STRUCTURE I add to my photos. I also PREPARE my photos by deciding what other filters or editing I should add to the image, and whether or not I should post it to allow others to see. After much debate, I usually decide to share my photo on whichever application I am currently using. The PROCESSING of my image is a bit nerve racking. Wondering what feedback I will incur and whether or not people will like it.
The overall structure of the eye relates significantly to reasons behind taking selfies along with the editing and debate we inflict upon our photos. Not only does the structure represent how we deal with selfies, but it represents the most valuable thing I represent in each and every selfie I take.



