Why I’m Putting My Messy Kitchen on Zoom
For the first few months after the pandemic forced the whole world onto Zoom, I tried to look “presentable.” In the frantic minutes before a video call, I’d change my shirt, put on mascara, prop my laptop up on a stack of books to get the perspective right, and wedge myself into the far corner of my kitchen. It was not a comfortable place to sit, but it meant the background didn’t include the dishes in the sink, or the various detritus of life on the counters, waiting to be cleared off.
I’d spend the whole call monitoring the angle of my video, hoping one of my dogs wouldn’t wander into the frame, or worse, start to bark, and making sure only my torso — and not the sweatpants I had on — was visible.
A year into life on Zoom, my definition of “presentable” has changed. I’ve taken to appearing on screen exactly as I am. More often than not, that means standing makeup-less in my messy kitchen, in a t-shirt and a ponytail. It’s not that I’ve given up; it’s just that my priorities have shifted. I’ve stopped trying to hide the fact that my house looks lived-in, or pretend my everyday look is camera-ready. And it’s paid off: when I’m not worried about what things look like, I’m able to really listen. My focus and concentration on Zoom calls has improved dramatically.
