This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at DePaul chapter.
Seflies have broken weekday borders, they aren’t just for Sundays anymore! It probably seems like forever ago when you first saw the hashtag #SeflieSunday on
your Instagram feed and the trend hasn’t stopped since. Millennials have been judged by the older generation for creating and indulging in this trend. According these critics we’re too self absorbed.
Last month a cameraman at an Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball game caught a group of sorority girls taking pictures of themselves. The announcers then decided
to criticize the girls by mocking them and saying: “That’s the best one of the 300 pictures I’ve taken of myself today!” while another said “Do you have to make faces when you take selfies?” (ABC 7 News).
I’ve noticed the criticism in Youtube videos as well. I, like many people, find enjoyment in watching youtuber’s vlogs (which, if you’re are not familiar with the term, refers to a Youtube video that shows a day in the life of said youtuber). I have seen many vlogs in which the youtuber would verbally say to the viewer that they have noticed an older person stare at them while filming because they were talking to a camera. One vlogging couple was called “desperate” by an older woman who thought they were taking a selfie.
Maybe it’s because I take a selfie every now and again but I believe the trend to be rather empowering. How wonderful is it that people are feeling confident enough to post a picture of themselves? I say it’s pretty wonderful. When I see a selfie on my Instagram feed I see confidence, a girl (or guy!) who is feeling great about themselves and wants everyone else to know it. There is absolutely nothing shameful or self absorbed about that. Not to mention that finding the correct
lighting for the picture and finding your good angle is no easy task!
It would be a lot to ask of the older generation to understand the selfie taking trend but that’s fine, they don’t need to. The concept of a “selfie” is unique to our time and it’s part of our generation’s history; it ‘s how we document time. So if you’re feeling yourself (as Beyoncé and Nikki Minaj would say) don’t hesitate to take that selfie and tell everyone just how great you’re feeling inside and out.