Friday, June 20, 2014

Twitter Photos, the Noticeablity Factor, et al

 
 
 
 
Note: My mom asked me to remove the extra pictures for security reasons. She said the twitter pic was fine, but that all the pictures revealed more about my identity than I should reveal. I don't absolutely HAVE to do what she says, but I can see the wisdom in her words. If I wish to continue to be open at all here, I can't leave too many  clues about my identity about my identity.


Yesterday I had a chat with none other than the esteemed Judge Alex Ferrer  when the topic of Twitter pictures came up. Judge Ferrer commented that he reads all tweets but doesn't always know who authored them because the pictures are small and he doesn't always take the time to check out the names. He mentioned a couple of tweeters whose tweets he could identify because their pictures stood out in some way-- usually because of color. I made the decision that my Twitter photo must be changed so that Judge Ferrer or anyone else would stand a better chance of recognizing that a tweed had come from me. I'm still not sure how much difference it makes in the long run, but still, it is my choice to wither away in anonymity to no greater degree than I must.

i'm handicapped to a degree in that I avoid cameras whenever possible. if i see someone with a camera at an event, I do my best Harry Houdini imitation.

Last night I posted a twitter picture  and asked those I knew who have Twitter accounts to give me feedback.  Tomorrow I'll take it down and post a different trial picture. The present picture is probably the prettiest picture of me that I'll post.   In all honesty, while I'm not the wicked witch of the east, west, or any other direction, neither am I exactly Natalie Portman.  In all honesty, I know I'm not butt-ugly, and that there are girls in the world who would trade appearances with me. The problem for me is that I grew up as a rather homely child. My dad said that I was so homely that I was cute. My mom said I looked just like  her, so who was she to criticize my looks? I was excrutiatingly thin with wild hair. I had an uncle by marriage who was fond of calling me (never within earshot of my parents) "the ugly duckling who never turned into a swan.". The man was and still is  not exactly Brad Pitt himself, so I'm not sure what he thought gave him the status to be so critical of any child's appearance.

I enjoy pictures that flatter me as much as does the next person, but the object is for the picture to stand out. I could,of course, wear a clown suit, but while I'm not overly vain in terms of my [non-existent]  resemblance to Natalie Portman,  neither do I wish to go so far into the portmanteau of visible and salient color that I'm willing to literally appear as a clown.

I will post here  a few of the the pictures that I will post on my Twitter account. It won't be a perfect parallel because the size won't be exact. I'll also leave the Twitter link so that if you have the time or the inclination, you can check out the photos at the actual site.

Keep in  mind that, other than my size, standing out visually is not one of my strengths.  If  it is determined that I don't actually catch attention in any of these photos, I'll just go for the one where I look the best.  "Sort of pretty" invisible   trumps "ugly" invisible every time.

Link to the Twitter site:  https://twitter.com/TheAngelAlexis

















         
                             








                                                                            8


I obviously look better in #1 than in the rest, but I'm trying  to balance looking OK with being noticeable.  If I  cannot be noticeable, I'll go for as un-ugly as possible.

Thank you for your time and for your input.
               

3 comments:

  1. Alexis, I completely understand self-deprecation. I do it myself. However, I honestly think you are much too hard on yourself. You are very pretty. Any one of those photos is fine. I like the first one because it's very clear, but I think the one of you with the piano and violin is clever.

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  2. I like the first one as it shows your face the best and would pick that one. But I also like the last 3 as they say a little about your talents and your home and family.

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  3. Oh bananasplit! I missed the other photos so I couldn't really say. However, the very pretty blond girl is you? And that adorable toddler with the death stare is precious! Wish I had seen the rest. Even though I am an "ole crackin' nana," as my granddaughter says, I would say, you are definitely very pretty. Who would have thought, after reading some of your posts! LOL Just found this blog accidentally and please, please don't stop! Your writing is intriguing, fascinating, and hilarious! Hard to believe you are so young AND wise! Thanks for sharing! Just wish I had seen the rest of the photos as in the comments above.

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