I hate it when I am completely dressed and ready
to walk out the door and someone lets me know that the pants I am wearing make
my butt look big, or my shirt sleeves are too short or that the color I am
wearing really doesn’t look good on me.
My standard response is, “helpful?”
If it is obviously too late to change whatever you
see as a flaw and it is, quite possibly, only a flaw in your eyes, it is
anything but helpful to let me know about it.
I bring this up this morning because of the completely unhelpful
comments I keep seeing posted on the internet.
I’ve been having a lot of fun following along with
the production of the “Outlander” series that will premier on Starz this
summer. The cast and crew have been
fantastic about including those of us who love the books in the process of
bringing this story to life. They tweet
and post on Facebook and Instagram. They
actually take the time out of their very busy days to include those of us who
will probably never get be part of a TV or movie production crew.
They vast majority of people following the show
post encouraging, funny or excited responses.
Then there are those who believe that the cast and crew are in need of
an unhelpful nagging parent to let them know of any and all mistakes (or what
they perceive as mistakes).
When a picture was posted this morning of the two
main characters at a Golden Globes event someone thought it would be a good
idea to tell the stunning Caitriona Balfe that they didn’t like her dress and
she looked better in another one. Helpful? Hurtful?
 |
Caitriona Balfe. I wish I looked like that in any dress! |
If someone we know posts a picture of themselves
at a dressy event, would we ever be so incredibly rude? “Hey, Miranda, loved your wedding, but your
dress, not so much,” or “Judy, happy 30th birthday, too bad you didn’t
wear the jeans that make you look skinny.”
Even more rude and ridiculous are the comments
about things that can never be changed.
Letting someone know that you think they are not tall enough is NEVER helpful.
Because of this blog, my upcoming novel, and the
Starz series I am now connected to social media daily. I have “met” some incredibly funny, clever
people whose comments add to both a conversation and my day. Because I work in an office of 1, these people are
now like my coworkers who I check in with everyday (OK, every couple of hours.)
This morning, I’m dropping a heavy hint to a few
in our virtual office who may have forgotten that comments posted on the
internet cannot be erased and that celebrities are actual people, just like
your family and friends. I sincerely
hope that my advice is helpful.