PSYCHOLOGY BUSKING a la wordswords: MIRROR, MIRROR: I'M TOO SEXY FOR MY SELFIE

My colleague, Anne, introduced “selfies” as a koinonia in her Grade 12 English class. Some of the discussion led to selfies perchance, being connected to certain conditions of mental health disorders, such as the delusional and narcissistic traits of schizophrenia.

Hmmm … is there a connection? Likely not … but it is a topic worthy of blog exploration.

Selfies are certainly the rage, and I have learned of late, that selfies can be fun. And it seems, dear reader, that as you continue through this essay, that I am hooked. It shall be apparent that I simply love looking at myself! And the more I see myself, the more I love myself, and the more I love myself, the more delusional I become with the fantasies that are within the possibility of my very sexy imaginative self.

Factoid: I am a busker. To be a busker takes a whole heap of confidence. After years of guitar slinging on city sidewalks, I have that confidence. I do believe that whenever I am on a busk, I LOOK GOOD! Is this being delusional and narcissistic? Perhaps, but I shall let my readership decide.

The reason people want to LOOK GOOD is because of sex appeal. Everyone (and I mean everyone statistically) wants to appear sexy in the eye and mind of others. And what makes a person sexually appealing? Being beautiful or handsome is certainly high on the list, but unfortunately (or fortunately) is only naturally awarded to a privileged few. The physical attractiveness that makes these naturally- selected privileged few sexually appealing is referred to as STATIC ATTRACTIVENESS (Ronald Riggio, Cutting-Edge Leadership, 2013).

However, even if one is not so physically privileged, one can achieve sex appeal in other ways: DYNAMIC ATTRACTIVENESS, CIRCUMSTANCE, and SELF-PRESENTATION.

Dynamic Attractiveness is the ability to attract by expressing by positive affect. This includes a smiling face, expressive eyes, and general upbeat tempo. Your body language is your Dynamic Attractiveness.

Circumstance can favor everyone. The situations in which we operate our day-to-day affairs are a continual people challenge. In any given day, we could meet, literally, a hundred other people. And amongst those people (most of whom strangers), we are simply attracted to those who are attracted to us. And anytime we experience excitement and arousal with a certain someone, the more attracted we become to that certain someone.

Self-Presentation is what we can do to your general appearance that can make us more physically attractive. This includes our health habits, our hairstyle, and our wardrobe. When people really want to change their lives, no matter their Static Attractiveness even, they often significantly alter their self-presentation.

Of the above strategies to improve sex appeal, the research suggests that the most sexually attractive feature is our SELF-PRESENTATION, the changeable aspects of ourselves over which we can control (Mehrabian and Blum, 1997).

Being attractive can be simple. It's all about self-presentation. Shower, shave, style your hair, and brush your teeth. Purchase only clothes that fit you in a fashion you can tolerate; to dress for sexess (pun intended), decide on your signature style and then go for it. Good posture is sexy, so stand up straight and keep those shoulders back. Smile to present a positive and friendly attitude. Keep kinetic to keep fit, to stay rid of that beer belly.

And last and important enough to allow a separate paragraph, depending on who you want to attract, try to look either masculine or feminine. If you’re a male, hit the weights and muscle up. If you’re a female, apply some make-up and wear clothes that accentuate your body, and show off your curves, your sexiness. The more positive your self-presentation, the more confidence you exude; and therefore, the charisma you exude (Neil Child, 2014).

As a male busker, I do take heed to be creative to attract consumers. Such qualities as intelligence, humor, and artistic endeavor, I know are highly attractive to my consumers. Since I am a male, I am referring to my female consumers, especially the Lamias. In a line, I need to be appearing sexy to make money.

I just recently read of a study (Vinita Mehta, Head Games, 2014) in which 300 young women were solicited for their phone number on the street by a young male confederate in one of three conditions: first, holding a guitar case; second, holding a sports bag; and third, holding nothing.

And the survey says! The male confederate collected many more phone numbers when he was HOLDING THE GUITAR CASE!

HA! I’M TOO SEXY … and to confirm this, take a few moments and view my SELFIES!

My CHAUCERIAN PARADE for this week:

HANK’S POTATOES was there to greet me at Value Village. We drank together for fifteen minutes, he had a Pepsi and I a Coke.

BARRIE, the Canadian sniper just back from Afghanistan, stopped for a quick chat. Barrie’s mission now is to serve the Lord.

CHERRY, who is gorgeous and who is not now in a relationship took a few minutes to tell me this tidbit … wink-wink.

DIANNE, a faithful follower of this blog, made a three minute hi-and-good-bye pit stop. (Take a mental note of the last picture on this blog, Dianne, I AM A REAL COWBOY!)

ADA, Manager of the FARMERS MARKET, who always encourages me to busk at the market, and has just encouraged me to draw caricatures, too, at the market. She says I should charge ten bucks a pop. (Yes, I’ve a talent for sketching portraits.)

ADA

ANGELA, owner and operator of ANGELA’S OWN, has been my frequent neighbour at the market. Angela, always the good sport, always a treat to busk beside, helped me on my narcissist path this week, by shooting some pictures and modeling (below) for pictures.