Dear Friends Who Take Selfies,
I want you to know that I love it when you post pictures of yourself. I know selfies get a lot of bad press, but I think they’re rad. They give me a little window into your life, and you’d be amazed at how much I can get out of one little photo.
I love your pictures because I love seeing what you’re wearing – the outfits you build give me ideas about how to mix it up with my own wardrobe, and seeing you work your shit gives me courage to try clothing that I otherwise might have thought was too outlandish or revealing.
I love seeing how you do your hair and makeup. You look like a hot babe and I wish you would make YouTube tutorials explaining how you get your eyeliner just so. I want you to post pictures every time you change your hair, because seeing you cycle through all those neon colours gives me great ideas about what to do next with my own hair.
I love when you take selfies in your house. It’s neat to see where you live. When your place is cluttered, it makes me feel better about my own messy apartment. When your house is neat, it encourages me to get my shit together and do the damn dishes already. I like seeing the things you own and the art you put on your walls, because those things tells me so much about who you are and what you care about.
I love when you take selfies while on vacation. I don’t get to travel often, so your pictures allow me to live vicariously through you. The excitement on your face when you take a selfie at the Trevi Fountain or by the Arc de Triomphe is perfect and beautiful. I’ve seen a thousand pictures of the Louvre Pyramid, but the most interesting ones are the ones with you in it. If I wanted to see a picture of the Great Wall of China all on its own, I could just google the damn thing. You’re what makes those pictures special.
Mostly I love your selfies because I love seeing you feel good about yourself. I love how your face glows when you look like a million bucks and you know it. I love when you celebrate yourself. You deserve to be celebrated.
It’s easy for people to roll their eyes at selfies and make jokes about girls who just want attention, but the truth is that for lots of women – especially women of colour, trans women, disabled women and all the other women who see their existences erased in mainstream media – posting pictures of themselves is a way of challenging our culture’s narrow beauty standards.
Selfies are a way of saying, “I love myself, and I will fight anyone who tries to change that fact.”
Selfies are not a question. They’re not asking “Do you think I’m pretty?”
Selfies are a statement: “I am here.”
I see you.
I love you.
You matter.
Your selfies are inspirational. That might sound corny, but it’s true. When I see you love yourself, it helps me love myself. I suspect the same is true for lots of other people who see your pictures.
So please keep taking selfies. Please fill my Facebook and Twitter feeds with your wonderful face. Every picture you post fills me with so much joy. I love seeing you.
Obligatory selfie because what else would I add to this post?
The Belle Jar 
Aweime
Reblogged this on bxquisite.
It is the first time I see the healthy side of selfies… Next time I’ll have something else to argue about selfies. Thanks
Lovely post! Really made me look at selfies in a different way, I never thought of them like that!
I love selfies too. I think the world is becoming too hypersensitive to judge what others are doing. I just read an article on airline travel and people complaining about others. Sometimes people are not like us and lack manners, etiquette, etc. I live by my mother’s advice daily: “it’s none of my business what others think of me.”
You gave me a new outlook on selfies. Thanks for opening my mind.
couldn’t agree more i love this
Really didnt see things that way about selfies* I thought you were going to write about how selfish people can get or how psychologically people are just twisted but I liked this. Keep posting.
H.oHaney
i hate to be the party pooper but this article was hilarious to me when I imagined reading it in a sarcastic tone. and then i read your sincerity at the last 2 paragraphs.
please don’t take offense. i’m just.. i’m an incredibly immature person 😀 but this is really a cool read 🙂
Reblogged this on life or something like it. and commented:
Love this, its totally my sentiment towards all my friends and their awesome selfies.😍😁
Reblogged this on elinamameza.
Reblogged this on wander + whim and commented:
I just thought this blog post was so kind, and sweet. I can’t say I haven’t judged the posting of more than one selfie at a time, or even that I haven’t picked apart an outfit in a selfie. This little blog post made me feel like an asshole for that. It encouraged me to be kinder, to see something from another angle, and appreciate that.
Love one another
xxo, W.
That’s nice. I hope she actually did mean that. Anyway, that won’t stop anyone, including yours truly.
Reblogged this on christianleigh00.
Agreed! Selfies let me see how people are doing. They let me be a part of their day. Thanks.
Funny and insightful article! However, Selfies- as with everything good in life- stays good as long as it is kept in moderation!
OMG at last someone tell the truth! Other people think that the selfies are offensive, bored and they don’t leave you keep your intimity, but they don’t know to stare, because the selfies, like the text say, help you to choose the clothes that you are going to wear, or how can you comb your hair, and thousand another more things….
I love this post!!!
The problem at it’s core is that self love is the greatest flatterer of all. And where does flattery get you? Nowhere. In short, flattery can be defined as insincere praise, which is ultimately detrimental to your character.
Reblogged this on sassyplus.
This is the single most inspiring blog I’ve ever seen in my whole life. Thank you.
Reblogged this on youngbohamian and commented:
This is a different take on selfies, not the normal digital narcissism points!
Nice view on Selfies. Never thought about them in a positive light.
Ha hahahaha loved this post ! Great article and very interesting points ! First I was reading it and thought it was kinda creepy but I completely agree with you when you say that selfies aren’t asking if your beautiful but actually making a statement ! Therefore I think that too many selfies may tell you that someone has a big ego (eg. Kim kardashian) don’t get me wrong here I love watching her series but an entire book ? There should be limits… and one should be able to enjoy the day not just focus on taking pictures 24×7
Reblogged this on doonethingthatscaresyoueveryday and commented:
An amazing opinion of the so commonly mocked selfie
Fab, great read 😃
Reblogged this on Healthvibe Blog.
This is perfectly written and something everyone in the world should read and act according to. Let’s fight by loving. (Also I love your url, Sylvia Plath ftw!!!)
I love this BUT… no duck faces please, natural poses only ;-P Seriously, nice writing style 🙂
I actually LOVE your positive take on this! 🙂
I wish you would talk about older women say 40-45 that take selfies of just their face looking oh so teasingly, and she loves to hear the men’s comments.
Hey! I love this post! It would be amazing if you could checkout my new blog about beauty standards! Thanks!
A very positive and different take on selfie culture. I have much to think about.
Wow an amazing take on selfies your completely right, my mam and sister would complain that it’s all about the self but it a form of confidence and self love TO a degree I guess, there are some attention seekers and people desperately looking for attention, some people to get too obsseed but then society makes us think everyone is like that and makes people feel worthless and stupid for doing such a thing, wow you’ve made my day!! xo
Reblogged this on sleekerthanthou.
Reblogged this on FoxesFriesandFelines and commented:
As a medium selfie taker… this was nice 🙂
love this x x
Reblogged this on EARTH CRACKED UP and commented:
I must agree,regarde;uno selfy breaks the distance barrier we all deal with everyday.Sharing is key,satisfying inner thoughts about hopes and dreams with friends.
Busting out of the closet is difficult,and cyber fears restrict our key strokes alot.
Alas;never fear the FBI is here to protect and serve with good reason.
Acceptance shall be thought number one.
Take 1 , let the camera lenses and editing features(filters, collages, stickers and beauty functions), you’ll have a new visual communication experience …
Thou shall not judge thy wireless friends.
Facebook may seem competitive to some,with likes and feed frequency,but collages are always welcome in my book.
I love how you completely surprised me with the content of this post. I was prepared for complaints and this was such a beautiful view on selfies.
you have completely transpired my views about selfie. its not that i was a selfie hater but there were few things which were ambigious and now those have cleared….. thnk you…!!!
I love selfies 😉
Ok, you managed to describe this perfectly. 😀 If people would read just one blog post today, this should be it!
You wrote a heartwarming essay. I like my kids selfies because they’re always happy in them. And your closing photo looks great.
Reblogged this on Reia.s Blog and commented:
This inspires me
I love this! Sometimes its great to just think ‘I look good today!’ and be able to share that with friends and family, and not have feel bad about it!
Our love towards selfies only shows our love towards ourselves. When we click, we capture a moments. Selfies are the beautiful and comfortable moments with ourselves. That’s a lovely post. Cheers!
validation of beauty is what all us women seek, love your post!
I love the optimism in this post but feel bad people need this kind of validation today.
This is great. There’s nothing wrong with wanting attention and expressing yourself. We have the world at our fingertips on the internet, we may as well make the most of the fact we can spread our individualism all over the globe!
Interesting perspective! I admit I’ve always been one of the eye rollers when it comes to seeing people post their selfies. But now after reading this I’ll be looking at selfies in a who new way.