By Lizzie Nagel
lnagel@statenews.com
But first ... let me take a selfie.
In recent years, the selfie has been gaining more and more popularity, but also more and more hate. I see way too many people give the side eye to those who do the standard raise-phone-above-head-to-get-a-good-picture maneuver, and I don’t understand the disdain behind it at all.
The selfie is only some self-love, which I think society is definitely lacking. We live in a world where being insecure about yourself is far more common than being proud of how you look and who you are. I hear “Ugh, don’t look at that picture, I look horrible,” 10 times more than I hear, “I love this picture of me.” The selfie gives people a chance to say, “You know what, I’m beautiful and I’m going to share it.”
Feeling beautiful in today’s world is so important because it feels as though beauty standards are so unattainable. It’s easy to feel like you’ll never be proud of how you look. But since the rise of the selfie, people of all different shapes, sizes, races and genders are putting themselves out there. They’re showing the world what real beauty looks like and it’s pretty inspirational.
I don’t understand the people who think it’s narcissistic or that our phones are “ruining” the social experience. I love it. I get to see my friend’s makeup for a party when she goes to school 2,000 miles away, or my sister excited to go to a nice dinner with her boyfriend or my friend show me that his outfit is on point for the day. I get to see the people I love looking great and it’s amazing.
And even if you aren’t looking great, who cares? Take selfies when you’re happy, sad, angry, whenever. No one feels their 100 percent best all the time, so what’s the point in perpetuating that? Taking a picture of yourself saying, “I had a really bad day” isn’t lame or upsetting, it’s humanizing. It doesn’t matter how you look in the picture. It’s OK to not feel pretty or beautiful, because feeling pretty isn’t the most important thing about you.
The selfie is a great thing and people should embrace it instead of shun it. It helps build confidence. For once, there is this great invention that makes you feel proud of who you are without having to buy an overly expensive product or some sort of enhancement. The selfie is purely you — with the exception of the occasional filter or two.
