It was one
of their regular get-togethers: the girl gang met up for a celebratory lunch
for one of the birthdays. The camaraderie was tangible, the atmosphere imbued
with hilarity. The lunch spread was singularly toothsome, and would contribute
to their middle-age spread as well!
As usual
the photo session was the highlight of the meet, after the conversations, of
course. These latter ones ranged from food, to shows, to kids, to the help, to
in-laws, philosophy and many more topics.
For the photos, everyone spruced up again; some merely refreshing their
lipstick while others went the whole hog and re-applied their make- up, and
readjusted their outfits. The photos were being taken in selfie mode and also
in the regular mode, with either the help or one of the friends pitching in and
clicking. There were cries of, “Hurry up already! We can’t hold our breath any
longer!” and “Hey, smiling for so long is making my jaw ache!”. The women were
choosing which camera to use for best results: filters were being tried out and
also applied. Definitely there was an improvement over the natural looks, in
the filtered version.
When the
photos were shared within the group, Deepa found that not only had her picture been
taken at an unflattering angle, but also, she had had a wardrobe malfunction of
sorts. She knew these photos would soon be out on social media. Her heart sank.
How could she ask everyone in the group to delete the pictures? Or to not share
them on social media at least? How could she be sure that everyone would comply
with her request, even if she asked? She was resigned to the pictures coming
out, since some of the women in the group were not really close friends.
And then,
the unexpected happened. Not a single “bad” picture of hers made it to any
social media account. There were pictures of the food, some pictures without
her in them, yet another with only close-ups of their faces. The friends seemed
to have collectively and instinctively decided to refrain from posting those
pictures, even if they themselves were looking good in them.
Deepa was deeply grateful for this small act of kindness,
which came from the large hearts of her friends. Friends who were otherwise always keen on social media.
This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon 2025.
I wish more people understood this kind of sensitivity online. Not everything needs to be posted.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteA rare but beautiful act of kindness.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Delete