Often people would rather better themselves than make improvements in other people's lives. Doing things such as a dieting, going to the gym and buying the latest and newest technologies are examples of what people can do to make themselves feel and look better, usually just for image and how they come across is the eyes of the public, friends and family. It is good to do things for yourself but not if it is purely for image and ego. An example of this is a gym membership hypothetically costs $200 per year; whereas donating $100 is enough to provide medicines to a village to treat common illnesses and prevent disease. Donating to a charity, disaster relief fund or disease/illness treatment is something that would make a person feel a lot better about them as they are doing something good not just for one other person, but lots of people. There are many influences on people which make them crave looks and the best, biggest and newest products; this is what stops us from doing the better thing such as donating money. Celebrities are obviously the biggest influence on people, in particular the ones who do nothing to earn their popularity and money and whose fame is based purely on their looks. These looks attained by celebrities are more often than not produced through cosmetics and other expensive procedures and products. A lot of these celebrity influences are selfish and do things purely for themselves and their appearance in the public's eyes, rather than for the better of others and their well-being. This is relatable to Dorian Gray as he is overly obsessed with his looks just like some celebrities, and along with them, has the attention of others and the wish to be like them. This example shows the current selfishness in comparison to that used and examined in The Picture of Dorian Gray.
The last concept that is used in Dorian Gray and is a modern-day issue is that of the value of beauty and youth.