Times have sure changed

  Occasionally, I visit the social media world just to catch up on folks and their every day doings.  It is quite apparent that if you wish to find out anything, run through that "newsfeed" and it will all be laid out for you.  No one tries to have privacy any more.  Everything is there...what people eat, their choice of clothing for the day, their arguments, their pet peeves and even the color of their underwear.  Come on, folks.  Some things need to remain with you and not be plastered all over the web.  Granted, I pour out my heart on this blog but I have yet, and will not, post private things.  Sorry.  If you want that, you will have to go elsewhere....oh, try social media!  You won't find my private life there but you will find enough from others to make your head spin.

  Speaking of privacy and social media, modesty has also gone the wayside.  There is nary a bit of decency in some of the "selfies" posted.  To be honest, it is appalling not appealing.  This whole bit brought to mind a rather humorous occurrence so many years ago.  It seems that when my grandparents paid to have a photograph made of their youngest daughter in her early teens, there was some tension over the instructions given by the photographer.  Helen was a beauty and had on a lovely gown.  The photographer told her to pull down the ruffly shoulder straps for an "off-shoulder" look.  She was then told to look over her should in a "sultry" gaze.   My grandmother immediately went over, pulled the sleeve up some and told Helen to smile sweetly.  In the meantime, my grandfather had a "friendly" talk with the photographer about how Helen was far too young for that! The photo session proceeded and the results were lovely.  

  Today, parents acting like this would never fly.  I see parents dressing their preschoolers in more provocative outfits than what Helen wore that day but the world sees it as perfectly fine.  The kids' photographs are plastered on social media and everyone oohs and ahhs.  No one thinks of the message that these tiny tots are receiving through all of this.   It is no wonder that pre-teens, teens and young adults see nothing wrong with what they share with the world.  It is a wonder, however,  that parents cannot understand where their teenagers got the idea that it was ok.  Hmmm.  I guess I am just feeling my age and have an intense yearning for days past when modesty, decency and self respect were all considered admirable.