Last week, the Oxford Dictionaries announced their “word of the year”. The winner of this prestigious — or perhaps dubious — honor was none other than the word “selfie,” which according to Oxford has increased in usage by more than seventeen thousand percent in the past 12 months. Immediately following the announcement, the Internet erupted with backlash, because people were quick to draw a correlation between the promulgation of the word “selfie” and the alleged narcissism of the millennial generation. While I am undoubtedly biased, I refuse to believe that I am the only one who is tired of this argument. I’m irritated at constantly being told that I’m a member of history’s most selfish, self-congratulatory, lazy and self-obsessed generation, and for me, the widespread hatred toward the “selfie” was just the last straw. Instead of citing the “selfie” as the final evidential nail in the coffin of the millennial generation’s dignity, I embrace it. I celebrate the selfie. I am fully in favor of people taking and sharing pictures of themselves, and I think we’re incorrectly contextualizing selfies as a cultural phenomenon.
I do not believe that there is anything wrong with taking a picture of yourself or sharing that picture on social networking sites to begin with. But even assuming that there is something inherently offensive about promoting yourself, it is unfair and inaccurate to blame the millennials for the selfie trend. All you have to do is get on Twitter or Facebook to realize that people of all ages, races, genders and walks of life have embraced the selfie. Everyone from famous actors to athletes to teenaged girls can be found posting self-portraits. And yes, it has become easier to distribute and share these images in recent years because of technological advances, but the simple fact is that people have been taking “selfies” since the invention of photography. Sometimes you feel cute, handsome, excited, silly or any other conceivable emotion, and you have a desire to capture yourself in that moment. This is neither shameful nor revolutionary.
I will concede that teenage girls seem more prone to indulging in “selfie culture” than members of other demographics, but if anything that makes me even more opposed to shaming self-portraiture. Selfies represent an opportunity for young girls to claim ownership of their own image — it gives them complete control over how they are represented to the world. There is something very powerful about that, especially for girls who have been raised in a patriarchal culture that has taught them that their bodies are not their own. There is something empowering about taking a selfie. I think everyone who does it knows that it’s a little bit indulgent, but acknowledging that and even reveling in it can be a great feeling. Some will argue that selfie culture reinforces girls’ insecurities by forcing them to seek validation through likes and comments. But the power of selfies stems from the fact that they are taken by the girl herself. Bad photos can be immediately deleted, filters can be added, and posting a selfie is a way of saying, “I like the way I look. This is how I choose to let you see me.”
Selfies can send a message. They are a form of art and expression. Undeniably, some selfies are pointless or superficial, but others represent an opportunity to frame yourself in whatever context you would like — to make yourself the object of art. The phrase “feminist selfie” was trending on Twitter last week after a columnist for Jezebel wrote against the selfie, claiming that it perpetuated female oppression. The ability to take a picture of yourself and share it became a symbol of something larger — a small part of an online political movement. The same goes for selfies that people take after they have voted, after they accomplish a particular life feat, after they do something especially scary, exhilarating or unbelievable, or when they are in a place that is unusually beautiful.
Selfies can help us keep in touch with friends in a very personal way. My best friend from high school goes to college 13 hours away from me. And although I stalk her Facebook and Twitter religiously, it is easy to feel disconnected from her life. Receiving a Snapchat or seeing a selfie she took before a party is far more comforting than reading an empty status update. Selfies can portray so much more than words — allegedly, a thousand words’ worth of meaning. It’s a cliché for a reason.
The time has definitely come for us to embrace the selfie. It supports a culture of self-love and self-confidence that is sorely undernourished in today’s society. We have been raised to always be humble, even self-deprecating, and this can lead to a regrettable lack of self-esteem in today’s youth. It is not arrogant to find yourself attractive. It is not narcissistic to be proud of an outfit or a nice smile. There is absolutely nothing wrong with thinking that you look great and wanting to share it with the world. I would encourage all people to stifle their derision of the selfie and instead incorporate it into their own lives.
Ashley Spinks is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. Her columns run Mondays.
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