Pretend lives for pretend friends

Are We Obsessed With Selfies?

We are lucky enough to live very close to a beautiful spa and were even luckier last week to blag a couple of free day-passes. Inside there’s everything you’d expect: a steam room, hydrotherapy pool and buckets of freezing cold water to dump all over your head, which is like doing the ice-bucket challenge with the whiff cinnamon scented candles.I was sunbathing alone in the garden when three young, pretty girls joined me. At first I thought they’d be loud and annoying (I’m 50 this year so I’m allowed to be a grumpy old man sometimes) but something else, far more interesting happened. They lined up their sun loungers, covered themselves in suntan oil, got out of their books and drinks, and then, instead of relaxing and enjoying the weather, they produced their phones and starting taking selfies of each other. Okay, fair enough, but this went on for over three hours. It was like we’d been invaded by the Kardashians.There was no end to their narcissistic poses, hair-tossing and heavy pouting. I would have filmed them for you but would have probably been arrested. When they’d finished outside they did the same in the wet area, filming themselves walking in and out of the steam room, the pool and the sauna. They didn’t dump the buckets of water on their heads, unfortunately. Eventually they gathered their things and left. Books unread, towels unused and sunscreen unsizzled, and for what? More followers on Instagram and shares on TikTok? I felt so sorry for them. A beautiful place to enjoy, used only as a backdrop to promote pretend lives to pretend friends. Sometimes, I’m so glad I’m not young anymore.