The selfie of Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray, a 25-year-old bachelor of the Brighton gay scene, is a man who has always been drawn to beauty and self-love. He takes a selfie at a barstool in the Poison Ivy, where he enjoys a margarita and a phone. The moment he takes the selfie, he realizes that it is the face itself that makes it so exquisite.

Dorian's life has stopped, and he now lives in the moment, looking good and feeling good. He wishes for the selfie to age instead of him, but it does not. Years later, he finds the selfie on his phone, and he realizes that the tidelines of age are etched into it. The selfie shows wrinkles on the forehead, skin wilting around the aquiline nose, and twin creases on either side of the rosebud pout of a mouth.

Dorian also sees a certain sneer and curl of the lip, which he believes was written by the many times he had put others down on the basis of their looks. He wonders if this sneer was evidence of a life lived in selfishness, with a selfie stick in hand and judgment in mind.

Dorian tries to erase these lines with a softening filter, but the app glitches and increases the contrast on the image, only etching those lines deeper into the brow and cheek. He recoils in disgust at the sight of his own image and runs to the bathroom to shave his face. He finds the same strange youth and pure beauty that is synonymous with his reputation in gay bars from the pier to the marina.

Dorian commits himself to a life of velvety pleasures and empty aesthetics, progressing his modeling career at the London fashion shows and buying designer handbags in the Lanes. At night, the selfie haunts his dreams, with his mouth twisted in hideous grin, cheek disgraced by defects, and brow wrecked by wrinkles.

As the years pass, Dorian's face stays young, and he courts a beautiful drag queen named Sybil and dreams of the lavish wedding they'll have. However, the selfie haunts him, and he continues to live in the moment, looking good and feeling good.

Dorian and Sybil spend their days together, raving about their looks and spending time at the beach. However, their relationship is disrupted when Dorian, a 45-year-old man, becomes obsessed with his youthful appearance. He launches his own line of face cream and proposes to Sybil, but they break off their engagement.

The night they call off their engagement, Dorian sits in his bedroom, searching for flaws in his appearance. He takes a selfie, which haunts him, and finds it more hideous than ever. He dismisses it as a selfie, claiming it doesn't look like him. Reassuring himself, Dorian decides to delete the photo before changing his mind.

The next day, Sybil arrives at Dorian's flat, hungover and missing her boyfriend. She checks in, finding everything in its usual order. Dorian's designer coats hang in the entranceway, and a half-drunk bottle of Chablis sits on the marble worktop. The Dyson tower fan blasts out cool air in the lounge, causing a jet of cold across Sybil's legs.

Sybil finds the bedroom empty, but when she opens it, she finds Dorian hanging by his neck from the rail. At first, she doesn't recognize him, as his swollen purple face is ugly, carved with deep wrinkles and blemishes. By his side, there lies his phone.

In summary, Dorian's relationship with Sybil is disrupted by his obsession with his youthful appearance and his obsession with his self-esteem. His obsession with his appearance leads him to take action and delete the photo, causing Sybil to question his motives and the impact of his actions on her life.