I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror this morning — no makeup, nothing filtered. It was a stranger staring back, someone I haven't seen in…decades? All those hours spent adjusting angles and hues for the neighborhood social club's online album, making sure I presented as VIBRANT, completely obliterated the actual me. I can no longer articulate a genuine interest that isn't currently trending on some suburban influencer's feed, and frankly, I find it quite irritating.