"What I..."

What I...

By Reggie Schwartz

Starting the day off with a small breakfast. The picture reads, "Good breakfast," which plays off the fact that this breakfast of water and a single banana is not a great breakfast. I arrived at Ernie Davis Dining Hall shortly after they put the food away, which meant I had a selection of dry cereal and minimal fruit.

This is where I sit in my Supply Chain Management class. I do not have many people that I am close with in this class, which is a bummer, but there is always an opportunity for new friendships.

After a stressful day of classes, I turned on my favorite TV show right now, Desperate Housewives, which is a great series to binge.

This is what I ate for dinner. After that sad breakfast, I had to treat myself and order dinner. Pink Vodka Fettucini from Pastabilities. The basil was a personal touch.

Attempting to complete my business calculus homework. I learned this material in high school, but it does not come back to me as easily as I thought.

*incorporating my face into each picture did not seem natural, which is why most pictures lack the 'Selfie' aspect.*

The concept of selfies with a social conscience is a simple yet effective way to help people who may be ignorant empathize with economic and cultural differences around the world. It brings awareness to the fact that not everybody has the privilege of eating every day or having a roof over their heads. Throughout the "What I Eat" photo project, we also see that we live incredibly different lifestyles in terms of how we diet. Many different places around the globe also have different food restrictions; like in the United States, we have the FDA (Food and Drug Association), which is in charge of the food consumers have access to. Other countries have other associations with restrictions, which also sets us apart. These selfies can also be used as a form of activism that showcases the diversity in food choices and celebrates inclusivity. People should be more exposed and immersed in different cultures because that leads to dismantling prejudice and biases throughout our society. This project delves into how consuming and contributing to social media influences our daily lives. We absorb other people's lives, inspiring us to buy a product or try a restaurant. We also do not question the authenticity of social media users' posts; are they actually living such an exciting and fulfilling life, or are there different circumstances with the phone put down? 

Selfies with a social conscience serve as a looking glass to make people more aware of our global and economic differences. They remind us that not all of us were brought up the same way and were not born with the same privileges. These selfies aren't just pictures. They allow us to stand for diversity and deconstruct stereotypes and preconceived notions.