Everybody Say Cheese..AND SMILE

Who knows how or when it started. Who cares how it started. I just want it to stop. More than once when I was a child, I got my behind popped for such behavior. More than once when we were children, so did my sister. It used to be considered an act of ugly behavior. It used to be considered mean. Children used to be sat in the corner or time out for behaving in such a manner. Now it's common place. You see it everywhere. Pictures are abound with it. Face Book has it wall to wall. I just want to know, when did it happen? Who approved these actions to be acceptable?

Is it considered sexy? Is it considered funny? It is considered attractive? NO. To all three. I can answer all three of those questions with a resounding NO. At first I thought, oh, this is just a "thing", it will grow old and die out. Surprise. It's not. If we paid half as much negative attention to this as we do saggy/baggy pants, that would be wonderful. Because quite honestly, looking at someone with their tongue hanging out like a panting dog, is just as offensive to me as someone walking down the street with their a$$ hanging out of their pants. 

How anyone on this earth thinks it's attractive, funny, or sexy to lounge a cow tongue out of your mouth, I will never understand. And the thing is , it's not just teenagers with a fad, it's dang adults. Grown dang people, mostly women I might add, standing together in a circle, all sticking their tongues out as far as they will go, and begging someone to take a picture of it! Posing in public places, for everyone to see. And the teenagers, my land, it is rampant. Every other picture, they're hang dogging their tongues out. Do you really think anyone finds that attractive? I mean, let's be honest here, rolling your tongue around on a lollipop, or licking your lips, THAT might be considered seductive in some circles.  But all that tongue rolling, chin licking, I gotta tell you, not so much.

I've tried to think back, to a time when I could remember this being a fad. Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler and Gene Simmons. That's as far back as I had to go. And quite frankly, they weren't taking pictures, they were trying to seduce little girls and women all over the world. I guess. I have never thought those three men were in the least bit attractive. Tongues dragging their chins and all. Poor Elvis and his swiveling hips. Such a disgrace. Look where we are now. What we accept. Unbelievable.

Maybe I'm an old fogey.  Maybe I'm just not hip. Maybe I was born to be square. That's alright. I know what my tongue was made for...and I know it wasn't made to lick my chin, or wiggle it in mid air whenever there is a camera in the room.  Isn't it possible for us all to wrap around our arms around one another without turning your heads together and touching tongues for the camera?

For the love of all that is good, smile for the camera. Please. Use your tongue for talking and chewing. You're so much prettier when you do. I promise.

copyright © 2011 Michelle Mount Mims