A girl next to me at the grocery store the other day had on the cutest yellow dress. She’d braided her hair in an intricate crown around her head and her winged eyeliner was on point. In short, she looked awesome. Four seconds into our wait, she smiled at her phone and snapped a selfie. The guy behind her rolled his eyes and may have even muttered something about the growing narcissism of the “selfie generation.” I mean, I didn’t exactly hear him, but he totally looked grumpy enough.
It’s an observation I’ve heard and read about a lot lately. Some people equate selfies with being vain and narcissistic. Given the way these articles talk about people snapping pictures of their faces all day, it’s easy to see why selfies are associated with the self-absorbed. But people who frown every time they see someone take a picture of themselves are missing the point.
…cries of narcissism lurk in the comments section…
Taking a selfie and sharing it is, first and foremost, an act of self-love. It’s a moment you wanted to preserve, a day you felt confidence in your appearance. Group selfies capture close friendships—quite literally, with everyone crowding to get in frame. Solo selfies capture happiness and self-confidence. Call me crazy, but these sound like feelings worth celebrating.
Posting a selfie on social media is the traditional next step. Here again, cries of narcissism and vanity lurk in the comments section. By sharing a moment in which you felt confident, you pass on a message of confidence to your friends and followers. And don’t stop at your own selfies. Appreciating the beauty that others feel in themselves is just as important. My best friends are gorgeous and live far away: their selfies never fail to brighten my mood. Let the moments when other women felt good inspire you to see beauty in others. It can only lead to seeing beauty in yourself.
Taking a selfie and sharing it is, first and foremost, an act of self-love.
Sharing selfies does more than just give you a confidence boost, though. By papering the Internet with mostly unedited images of women, the selfie trend is the first step in reversing what Photoshopped advertisements have done.
Instead of preying on women’s insecurities, selfies thrive on our confidence. The influx of women feeling good and sharing the feeling with their friends spreads a positive message across a medium traditionally used for body shaming. It’s the first step towards tossing aside Photoshopped beauty ideals and embracing self-confidence instead.
The best way to contribute to the movement is to take genuine selfies in moments when you feel beautiful or happy. Don’t self-objectify by Photoshopping or hyper-sexualizing your selfies to match magazine models. Don’t use selfies to get likes and combat your insecurity. It is possible to go overboard, so make sure that you’re not flooding your Instagram or letting selfie-snapping take over every moment. Instead, make sure that every selfie you take and share is one that celebrates a feeling of happiness, confidence, and love. Enjoying those moments is the first step to building more happiness, confidence, and love in every aspect of your life.
Make sure that every selfie you take and share is one that celebrates a feeling of happiness, confidence, and love.
Selfies are hardly a new trend: people have been getting in front of cameras for a long time (and, before the camera, commissioning portraits of themselves). But never has it been more important. Those who cry “Narcissist!” when they see someone holding their phone out at arm’s length and smiling don’t understand the importance of the movement. It’s more than just the moment you feel cute, though that is the foundation. It’s about spreading self-love and celebrating the beauty in you. What could be more worthwhile than that?
What prompts you to take a selfie and share it?
Females of modern society truly lack self esteem. They seem to act very insecure, by constantly seeking validation and approval by picking up bizarre behaviors that they believe would attract men. When you follow these women, comment on their sexy pics, and talk to them, they will start pretending to be decent by calling you “perv”
the selfie culture is full of losers who are directly responsible for lowering the average IQ of millennials. they contribute nothing.
So glad I stopped taking pictures of myself. Seeing all these selfies makes me sick. No one needs all these pictures of themselves…one to 5 is a good number. But anything past that is weird. Everyone really needs to get over themselves.
Most likely if other civilizations visited earth they would leave immediately and say what a bunch of low IQ selfie narcissists.
Reminds me of something that happened recently. I was about to step onto the bus to begin my morning commute to work, when out of nowhere, this young late teen girl budges her way in front of me without even an excuse me. As she’s digging through her purse for her fare, I look over her shoulder at the smartphone in her hand. The wallpaper is her self portrait…
The moment you see a selfie-ish person, know that person is selfish & self-centered. Basically they are self-obsessed.
Humanity has failed as a whole. This is our future lol i pity humanity …nothing positive about this at all
it started when they started handing out trophies to every single child, even when they lost the game. it created an entire generation of people who can’t handle loss, rejection, negative feedback and the real world.
Selfie-addiction is a huge turn-off for me. I don’t feel comfortable when a girl I am dating takes pictures of us on the first date. More so when she takes selfies on every turn or corner. Thankfully, there is only a handful of them. Come on! It is only the first date! I’m not even sure what you will later do with my picture. I don’t think that habit is healthy in any way.
I post my selfies only when I am in a bright mood. I want to share my happiness with my friends and families, and for them to know that I am doing fine and enjoying life as it is. Come on people! It is not just for vanities’ sake! Don’t we all want to feel connected and appreciated? And looking back to those memories will somehow help us through some hard times.