We asked people from around the world about the story behind their selfie
They’re about more than getting likes and comments
The selfie.
Some believe it’s the narcissistic creation of generation “me,” a way for millennials to inflate their ego. Between chunking up deuces, contorting lips into a “duck face” and choosing from dozens of filters, many people believe selfies are just a grab for attention.
But is attention the only reason we take selfies, or do we have a deeper motive?
In Dove’s video “Selfie,” young women were paired with their mothers to take selfies and put the photos in an exhibit. Participants discussed their insecurities and pasted sticky-note compliments around each of the photos. The project demonstrated that social media allows users to define what beauty is individually – not just what society says is beautiful.
“I was surprised when I heard the girls talk about their insecurities,” one participant said. “Those [insecurities] were the things that made them different. But the things that made them different made them unique, and that made them beautiful.”
In the Ideal to Real TODAY/AOL Body Image survey, 65 percent of teenage girls said that putting pictures of themselves on social media helps them to boost their confidence. It’s not just girls, either: 40 percent of all teens said that social media helps “me present my best face to the world.”
After asking some young adults to share a selfie, explain why they took that photo and say how they felt in the moment, it became evident that everyone has a unique perspective on the selfie phenomenon.
Savannah, 18, Jacksonville, Florida
“[I’ve taken selfies] since I was a little kid. I do it for fun because when I look back and I’m younger, you can see the difference in age. [I take selfies] all the time with friends and family. It’s a good thing to look back on. You can remember the moment and how you felt back then.”
Annie Louk, 20, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico
“The typical Coachella flower crown Snapchat filter. Couldn’t get any more hipster than that! I chose this selfie because, regardless of the basic-ness, there are two stories hidden in it.
“A friend told me I looked Hawaiian in this selfie, as a lot of people assume. You’d be surprised to know that I’m not even part of the States. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, and I’m a proud Latina. My grandparents migrated from China to Cuba, and from there to Puerto Rico. This makes it hard for people to guess where I am from since I don’t even have a Spanish accent, I’m bilingual. That’s the story I tell everyone when they ask me where I’m from.
“I took this selfie because I felt pretty for the first time in a while. I’ve been going through a tough time, and feeling pretty for a second made me happy. I recently found out I have psoriasis and had my first flare up ever. I wore T-shirts and sweatpants all the time to try to cover my body, and I had a giant rash on my face so I didn’t go out for a week. You can see some imperfections on the picture; regardless, I felt pretty with those flowers on my head. After 24 hours, 50 people had seen my Snapchat story. That made me feel better, that my friends could see me in a happy moment amid a lot of stressful moments.”
Cierra Moore, 15, Jacksonville, Florida
“This is a super old selfie. No makeup, and my hair is natural. I took this picture because, for once in my entire life, I felt beautiful when I was completely natural. It shows others that they can do the same.”
Danyelle, 24, Jacksonville, Florida
“[I take selfies] generally to preserve a memory or, for the most part, selfies are a thing to communicate with friends or family. They’re a “look what I’m doing” way to preserve a moment or communicate it to someone else … I’m not on my phone much other than that. My family lives in Chicago … my little brother is 13 and is obsessed with Snapchat, so it’s [how] we communicate.”
Nicole Noriega, 22, Spring Hill, Florida
“Last year I was in a horrible relationship. I had a feeling I was being cheated on (which later proved true) and it was a HUGE self-esteem killer. The morning I took this photo I decided to get dolled up to make myself feel better, and the rest of the day turned out to be amazing! I’m so in love with this photo because it reminds me that when I look good, I feel great. It helps me stay positive even when I’ve had a really bad day or week.”
Jeancarlos Pérez, 19, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
“Although I’m not the kind of guy to always take selfies, I do from time to time need to remind myself of how I look before some big event or getting something important done. There’s something about looking your best that makes you deal with things a little better.
As I observe my selfies over time, I’m still the same guy with the same goals. You can’t lose the person you want yourself to be, because one day you might wake up and not even recognize yourself anymore.
The images that we plaster over the net serve as statements to our own well-being. Sometimes you’ll take a picture of yourself and see yourself looking like a glimmering star, and your actions end up shining just like it. It’s a nice feeling, and it can become addictive. But it helps drive individuals forward, so who are we to judge?
[At the root of] what a selfie is, it captures a moment of peace … but after the camera flash fades and you put your phone back in your pocket, you go back to reality and work ’til your next moment of change.”
Hadley Wilkerson, 20, Jacksonville, Florida
“I like this selfie because it makes me remember how happy I was when I took it. It was taken before I went into work one day. It was my 20th birthday, I had a new lipstick, and all was right in my world.”
Divyanshi Jain, 20, New Delhi, India
“Selfies! I take more selfies than I care to admit. Being into photography, I was always the one behind the camera. But the concept of selfies lets me be in front of the camera and create the image, too. Initially, I detested the concept of selfies, but now I realize that there is a lot of scope for creativity while taking a photograph of yourself. They are different from self-portraits because selfies are taken hand-held.
I don’t like sharing my selfies usually – it’s a personal experience. I have a photo journal which is full of selfies from the past year. They’re just photos of my face – I’m not smiling, no display of emotions – just my face and a firm expression. When I look back at those photos, I feel strangely comforted. When I take a selfie, it’s like I’m taking a pause to look at myself non-judgmentally and just be there for a few seconds. A lot of times I do not feel anything but just enjoy the view of my face. I’ll never admit it if you ask me, but I love taking selfies.”
Martha Felts, 20, Jacksonville, Florida
“I like to take selfies to preserve a memory. Sometimes I take selfies because I’m in a cool place, with a cool person or animal, or because I think I look good in a new outfit. But mainly, they are snapshots of my life that I fondly look back upon.”
Keonna, 21, Washington, D.C.
“[Selfies are taken] to be self-confident. Everybody’s doing it – nobody judges you if you make a silly one, a cute one – I think it’s just fun. It’s like you’re making fun of yourself. If I’m doing Snapchat, y’know, [I do] just different faces. It’s fun.”
Ryan Clark, 17, Topsham, Maine
“I took this selfie because I wanted the likes and comments, but more importantly, I wanted to feel loved and cared about. When I post a selfie on Instagram, it feels good to get likes because it makes me feel wanted and liked. For me, posting selfies is a way to get myself to stop being fretful about being liked.”
Angelica Previero, 20, Como, Italy
“The idea that I had in mind is that I have always gotten annoyed at the wind because it would mess up my hair, and since it’s curly, it’d be “ruined” ’til the next time I washed it. The wind would give me that typical “Hagrid” look that I am not fond of. The reason behind it is that the wind unfolds the curl, and water is the only thing that can put it back together. Therefore I would consider my hair “ruined” or “too messy” by the end of a windy day. I am particularly protective of my hair because it’s most likely, with my eyes, the only thing I aesthetically like about myself.
However, this selfie helped me realize how beautiful my hair could look even in the wind. It was empowering to me because it helped me to not judge the wind based on how it makes my hair look, as it is true, after it I get the not-so-pretty Hagrid look. However, the way the wind plays with it is pretty fascinating. So now I love the wind because I love it’s feeling on me, on my skin and even on my hair. Who cares about how it looks after?”
Selfies aren’t just about getting attention. They help people feel comfortable in their own skin. They’re a confidence booster that preserves a happy memory – a creative experience for the person behind (and in front of) the camera lens.
As Molly Fosco said in the Huffington Post, “Seeing a close-up picture of your own face and willingly showing it to thousands of people with one click is a form of self-confidence … It’s taking a risk and opening the door to criticism but hoping for positive reinforcement and love.”
Millennials have found a new way to embrace our imperfections, with Snapchat dog filters and Instagram hearts to boot. And having enough confidence to put yourself out there despite the risk? That’s what true beauty is. That feeling is worth more than all the likes, shares and comments in the world.
So whip out your front-facing camera, and embrace your selfie.