Getting over a breakup is usually easier said than done. We know we need to move on, but we don’t know how to do it or where to start, so we begin with the step that seems to make the most sense: Purge all reminders of the person, the most tangible of which are usually the pictures we have of them.
Before cellphones started performing double duty as memory collectors — allowing us the ability to record and snap pictures of precious life moments — taking photos was a lot less harmless. We had to actually buy, at minimum, a disposable camera, then take it to a store to get the images developed, then pick them up and, finally, find frames for them.
Now, our pictures are stored on our phones — the same thing we take them with — on the cloud and, if the relationship was especially significant, on our social media accounts. This is why taking down pictures is no longer so easy, and the question of whether we should keep pictures of our ex depends entirely on context.
Here are three suggestions on if and when we should purge the pics of our ex-lovers.
Instagram and Facebook
Were you in one of those relationships where you took a couples selfie and made it your new Facebook profile picture? Did you feel the need to post a picture of your former cutie pie every Monday or Wednesday for the weekly Instagram celebration that is Man Crush Monday (#MCM) and Woman Crush Wednesday (#WCW)?
Now that it’s over, it probably seems like these were dumb ideas, but just because it didn’t work out doesn’t mean those memories are bad ones. There’s something petty — and, even more, sad — about someone who takes down pics the second that things stop working out IRL. What’s more, scrubbing those photos from Facebook and Instagram isn’t going to make you feel any better.
Instead, keep them there, and treat them the same way you would treat all the other images you post from your life’s journey — they were good times and you wanted to share them. Plus, social media is fluid, meaning you can continue to post new pictures — including those of your hot new single self. Before you know it, those old pictures of your ex will be, much like the ex, a thing of the past.
Framed pictures
Waste no time — take down these pictures ASAP. But if they are in nice frames, you may want to just take out the photos and keep the frames for snaps of your future ex. If you’re the sentimental type, feel free to store the hard copies of the photos in a shoebox or something of that sort. But of all the pictures that should come down, the ones that performed double duty as decoration need to be taken off your shelves and walls.
Hard drive
If you’re the type to hoard outtakes and other pics on your phone or computer, go ahead and delete away — there’s no use in letting them sit on your device eating up precious storage. After all, you’re probably going to need to make space for all the sad music you’ll be playing as you get over the end of the relationship. Cue up some breakup jams, pour some wine, and let the soothing “whoosh” of files being deleted calm your nerves.