Retro outtake pics: Photographer Doug Walker often got me i..
Added 2021-04-21 16:11:07 +0000 UTCRetro outtake pics: Photographer Doug Walker often got me in front of a mirror to explore what narcissism brings to the table. I've done whole sets on narcissism, exhibitionism, and voyeurism, so go back and check those out. Here are a couple that never made it. It's not so much that I love looking at myself...I used to pick at my imperfections as I worked, but I'm much kinder to myself now and I'm usually ok with the guy in the mirror...it's just that I do enjoy exploring narcissism for the camera. It turns me on. It seems such a taboo thing to do. Some might say if you jerk off to an image of yourself, you're just a narcissist and self-absorbed and probably an insufferable person. First off, why not admire yourself? Feel good about yourself? No matter what your body looks like? Being naked and hard is good, goddamnit. Celebrate it. The mirror may not be your thing, and that's cool, but if it is...yay! Don't feel weird or guilty about it. But...and it's a big but...don't let it consume you. Open your eyes to everyone and everything that surrounds you. As the saying goes, it's not all about you. Listen. Watch. There's a lot going on out there. Lots of fun and positivity, but also a lot of pain...be sensitive to it. I do think you need to love yourself before you can truly love others. So be kind to yourself. Enjoy your body and your mind. But keep your eyes open and be mindful of the messages you take in. Jean-Paul Sartre said "Hell is other people." But that doesn't necessarily mean what it seems at face value. He said: "...when we think about ourselves, when we try to know ourselves … we use the knowledge of us which other people already have. We judge ourselves with the means other people have and have given us for judging ourselves." It's hard to ignore other folks' opinions and judgments of us, but if I've learned anything, it's...you have to try. Fuck 'em. You be who you need to be.The whole gamut. Don't hold back. Go take off your clothes, get in front of a mirror, and look. Really look. Get the voices out of your head that don't belong. Smile. Get hard. Run your hands all over yourself. Just enjoy the moment. You really are beautiful.
