Day 397 – Self-Portrait
September 6, 2010
It probably isn’t the kind of self-portrait you would normally expect to see… nor necessarily want to see. I’m just a thirty year old guy who has had a very bad fitness routine over the past few years. For today’s shot, I elected to capture the one part of my body that I am not satisfied with. Why? Read on.
This morning, I watched a lecture titled “Love the Haters”, delivered by Tim Ferriss during the Next Web Conference 2010. I encourage you to watch it, but not yet… give me a minute. One part of his speech that I found most interesting deals with stoicism, a philosophy – if not a way of life – that I feel very close to. I quote: “Cato, who Seneca believed to be the perfect stoic, practiced this by wearing darker robes than was customary and by wearing no tunic. He expected to be ridiculed and he was, he did this to train himself to only be ashamed of those things that are truly worth being ashamed of. To do anything remotely interesting you need to train yourself to be effective at dealing with, responding to, even enjoying criticism… In fact, I would take the quote a step further and encourage people to actively pursue being thought foolish and stupid.”
Very close friends and family members of mine will tell you that I have little to no shame, and that I totally abhor the notion of guilt. I am free of such mind plagues. Leading my life according to a set of proven principles made it easy. For example, I strive to be tolerant, open-minded and respectful, and I expect the same in return. You aren’t, you’re out. I don’t go wasting my time with unilateral relationships. Nevertheless, my path eventually crossed with negative individuals. While the immediate experience can be very painful, I always found it enriching. It made me stronger. One needs to be exposed to a virus in order to develop antibodies. The same goes with relationships, no matter how brief they are.
What does this have to do with the photograph I took? Well, the collective masses have a tendency to oppose or simply ridicule what doesn’t fit their idea(l) of normalcy. When it comes to beauty, a very subjective topic, we generally yearn for aesthetics that are fed to us by society. My body certainly doesn’t fit that criterion, and the very reason why I chose to photograph it in the first place. I will admit it, I’m not a saint and have mocked strangers – not overtly, mind you – on their appearances alone. So, it’s only fair for me to expect the same treatment. I’m game.
The very fact that I seek to improve my physical well-being, especially the current poor state of my fitness, fueled my motivation to post this even more. While I highly doubt I will get criticisms here, I am ready to embrace them. However constructive they are, they will only push me faster in the right direction: training. Remember, this is not about you, I am only doing this for myself. So, haters, I thank you in advance and… bring it on!
Wow. You look so…normal.
I know, I know. In today’s day and age guys are supposed to hide their chests if they don’t have a rockin’ six pack. What a load of caca. If you want to improve your physical well-being, do it for your heart and not your physique. However, if you do end up with rockin’ abs in the process, feel free to show off those photos later.
Right on, Janene, thank you. Cardio exercises are a must. If I dedicate as much time to it as I do with photography, I’ll be running a marathon in no time
Seriously, it’s all about consistency. I’m not in a rush, I know I’ll get there. Maybe I’ll post another such self-portrait next year.
Awesome! That’s great that you did that. You look like a normal person. Which is FANTASTIC. I did something similar with my 365 – self-portraits without makeup and such… and it was fun. I need to get into shape for my health as well. Not for my looks – just for my health. Stinkin’ life past 30.
Great post! TFS!
Thanks Antonia
I like the word “liberating” you used in your other comment. Isn’t it interesting that, as Janene mentioned, “normal” bodies are not nearly good enough for display according to our society’s norm? I wonder how it would be if the standards were not so high; we might actually have a higher percentage of healthy people.
Ok, you asked for hate, so here goes: this is the most thought-provoking picture I remember seeing from you. I’ve been practicing sports five times a week this summer; only to discover that I look fatter than you do. Maybe I should ramp up to 7 times a week, and give up what little photograpy I do in my spare time?
Anyway, you’re almost quoting of my Judo teachers who uses to say \Remember you are training for yourselves, not for me\. So it seems you’ve already nailed the most important aspect of training!
Hello Guillaume, I’m working on it (thought-provoking pictures). As for you looking fatter than I do, it’s all smoke and mirrors. Which is sad, really. I may be thin but I’m still fat. Come on, you look great! Kudos to you. I believe we’ve had a little – healthy – non-spoken competition going on between each other for a while and I’m looking up to you right now in this particular department. I’ve got to get a hold of myself and train. Thanks for the encouragement
This is a very interesting post and portrait of yourself. I have to admit, you don’t look bad at all considering I get to see a lot of obese men displaying their ware on a hot summer day.
At the end of the day, it’s your body. If you feel good about yourself, it will reflect in your personality. If you’re unhappy about it, do something then. What I like about this photo is, it isn’t airbrushed like most pictures we see in magazines nowadays. It’s a portrait of a normal person and that’s absolutely fantastic.!
I’m definitely on my way to do something about it. I deviated from a track where I really felt good about myself a few years back, so I know exactly what I need to do to get back on it. Part of it will deal with getting back into shape. When it comes to photoshopped models, it’s gone a bit overboard and I’m glad we’re getting back to a more natural look. On the few fashion shoots I’ve done so far, I’ve never gone beyond minimal imperfections retouching, nothing that a good makeup couldn’t do in the first place.
I see that so far I am only getting positive reinforcement. Thank you, but what about negative comments? I believe I created some potential for them here too… Anyway, if I’m not getting any, what about you? Have you ever had to deal with them? How did you do it on the short or long term? Did it make you stronger?
Those harry armpits are offensive. j/k
Really, this is an interesting idea; sometimes people get criticised for really inane things. E.g. the impressionist art movement received its name from a hostile review of Monet’s Impression, Sunrise, which contended that it was worse than wallpaper in its roughness. As for myself, I’ve been called names and such, but given that I’m not a name, it really doesn’t ultimately count for much – if anything.
C, thank you for commenting on my blog as it made me discover yours: quite the gem.
I didn’t know about the naming of the impressionist art movement, but it certainly doesn’t surprise me. “If you don’t have haters, you’re doing something wrong.” While this may not always hold true, breaking with paradigms or not being afraid to voice an unpopular opinion will bring its slew of critics, and more. Whatever granted you haters, you should be proud
Personnellement ta photo ne me plait pas spécialement mais j’applaudis pour le côté décalé et pour le fait qu’après 397 photos tu arrives encore à montrer des choses (ce qui n’est en soit pas évident ..)
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Allez encore 3 et tu passes le cap symbolique des 400 photos .. J’espère pouvoir te rattraper un peu ce weekend sur mon blog
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Après 397 photos, j’ai l’impression d’avoir “montré” si peu ! Et tu as raison, créer une image invitant à la réflexion n’est pas chose aisée. Je pense d’ailleurs m’orienter vers le conceptuel très bientôt. Il me faut juste le temps et les moyens pour le faire.
La 400ème photo sera postée aujourd’hui
J’ai hâte de voir les tiennes !
@Jérôme
Negative comments? Nah. I’m just beginning to understand that our flaws are part of our charm. A few years ago, I might have been offended if anyone criticised my crooked jaw structure. I’ve always felt conscious getting a close-up photo in case anyone notice. Not anymore. A lot of people don’t see it anyway. I’ve done a lot of close up photos recently and without make-up and I have to admit, I’m happy now with what I see.
@Funkkeejooce
Indeed, acceptance should come from within the self. One may wait a very long time if counting on others… I’ve read somewhere that a relationship really start to evolve once the spouse sees your flaws and embraces them. All the quirks and defaults that make you, you. And that’s so true. Thanks for sharing!