Look Sharp, Sconnie - Midwestern Fashion Nerd, Chronic Over-thinker

Psyche of Selfies: Who, What, Why

I AM SO GLAD THAT I SHARED THAT SELFIE.
Said no one ever.

So then why do we do it??

Why, in our moments of vain weakness, do we succumb to the preteen within ourselves? Why do we insist upon snapping our reflections, awkwardly extending our arms, or just clicking the little 'reverse cam' button on our iPhones in order to publicize our current physical state?

Well, believe it or not, there's actually quite a bit of pontification going on out there on the interwebzz about the "selfie culture".

In fact, apparently, the 3rd most commonly used hashtag is "#me".
[the first is #love, though, so ... +1 for mankind]
so obviously this habit is anything but obscure.

Understandably, the most common explanation applied to these self portraits is "narcissism",
but I feel like there's something more.
I'm so embarrassingly guilty of these offenses, so my optimism might be solely selfish, but oftentimes I don't feel as if our selfie intentions are driven by narcissism alone.

Sometimes, I think it's more about connection that it is about vanity. 
I mean, my Snapchats (sign up for it guys, do it) consist of instantly-deleting selfies of the most unflattering sort.
But they're still selfies. 

So why do I feel compelled to share photos of myself? 
Even when they're blackmail-worthy?

Is it like a visual, nonverbal conversation?
Will texting (d?)evolve into selfies of facial expressions?
Will words lose their power?

Anyone?
 I certainly think that factors other than narcissism (often including, but not limited to, narcissism) are involved.

So here are some of my favorite selfie circumstances.

1.) The "Proof of Participation" selfie
I came, I saw, I selfied.
Also known as : Nature is ruined forever selfie.

"Pics or it didn't happen"
It's like name-dropping,
but for places.

2.) The "Lonely Fitting Room Fix" selfie
You know that moment when you spin in a circle and pretend to have a conversation with yourself in the fitting room, just to see how the clothes look when you do?
Sooo much cooler when you #selfie that shizz

Also, IRL, people get really annoyed when you try on the 2 different things 80 times and keep asking "but which onnneeeeee????"

3.) The "Style Sister Support"/"Nobody-Cares-About-My-Purchases-Except-Maybe-the-5-People-On-Instagram" selfie
Sometimes, your sistas on the cell are more helpful with your personal style choices than your real-life acquaintences.

Also, 
my mom will literally murder me if she finds out I bought one more pair of shoes.

Literally.

(except not literally)


4. The "Anti-Selfie" Selfie
I'm sOoOo comfortable w/ my own natural hideousness
So I'm sort of a feminist. Right?

5. The "Faux Anti-Selfie" Selfie
I'm "so ugly"
but actually pretty
Don't even have to try.

6. The "I Have Flesh Friends" selfie.
Because sometimes we all have to prove that we have friends outside of the internet.

7. The "Fashion Bloggers Eat Too" Selfie.
This is admittedly more effective when you're living a glamorous lifestyle
than when you're eating a raw pepper.


8.  The "The Bathroom Is The Only Place Where I Can Take A Picture Of Myself With A Cellphone Without it Being Socially Unacceptable and Weird Even Though it Totally Still Is In Every Way" selfie
celebs r just lyk us!!

9. The "I'm Too Busy to Pause and Acknowledge That I'm Taking a Selfie of Myself" selfie. 
source
10. And finally....
The plain ol' Narcissistic selfie. 

source

Because there's no way I can deny it exists. 



Sooo, 
The Selfie: 
Self-indulgent bad habit or modern day mode of self expression?

Cheers.














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12 comments:

  1. Pardon My FashionJune 3, 2013 at 7:28 AM

    DEFINITELY modern day mode of self expression! Never apologize for selfies! Also you are looking insanely gorgeous in allllll these selfies you freaking supermodel!

    xo Britt

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  2. Shug AveryJune 3, 2013 at 8:25 AM

    After reading your post I went visiting my not so updated Instagram account to see if I have ever done any selfies and the answer is that I took 2 pictures of me to testify my hairstyle. Usually it is my flatmate who takes my picture so if I ever have something to show about my physical (d)evolution I'll ask her. Which means that I am not yet used to this selfie stuff.

    Now this said I have to say that I noticed that I was posting more and more on my FB page, pictures of me (that were shot by other people^^) because I realized that people reacted more when seeing my face. So eventhough I am not into this selfie thing, I definitely think that it helps people figuring out who they have in front of their screen. Words are powerful but so are images in this all digital era, above all for us fashion bloggers. If we don't show ourselves a little bit I guess our readers will feel less close to us.

    The question you asked at the end of your post is valid but I do think that we should see beyond it, it is not only about self expression but also a way to convey, to communicate, to exchange with people (obviously the narcissim is not to be taken off, WE ARE ALL NARCISSITIC after all).

    Thank you for your always insightful, funny and well-written posts :).

    Shug Avery of Incognito

    http//:www.thinkincognito-eng.blogspot.com

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  3. far and wild jewelryJune 3, 2013 at 9:54 AM

    this post is amazing. you literally had me lolin a couple times there. and not literally how your mom is gonna murder you but like LITERALLY. i have such a weird thing with selfies. i'm not comfortable taking them at all yet i have a blog on the internet laden with pictures of myself. a little selfie hand action to show off my rings or something, now that i'm all over. sadly #myhand is not nearly as popular as #me. as for #you please never stop with the selfies because they're all amazing whether live from a fitting room, bathroom, or froyo.

    abigail
    www.farandwildjewelry.com

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  4. Swati AilawadiJune 3, 2013 at 10:35 AM

    Wow Gabrielle.... ! You are one hell of a humorous person.... my boring self will never be able to think that away... not in a billion light years maybe..

    But here you are explaining TEN selfies... !! Though I am not a big part of this culture... but whenever I am... it is mostly because there is no one else around to take your picture (forever alone?) and it has been weeks since you updated your facebook profile picture and hence must do so urgently or else it will be you social image doomsday soon (LOL). Or Else it is number 3... when I really need help on my style choice. :)

    Absolutely loved your post. But I am just wondering, do selfies clicked using tripods... (who do not give away the reality) also come under this category?

    Swati @ The Creative Bent


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    1. UnknownJune 3, 2013 at 4:49 PM

      1. no way you're boring.
      2. I don't know about tripod pics! I don't know about portraits done by others either. There's probably a fine line somewhere in there that I don't see.

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  5. cyeomsJune 3, 2013 at 11:03 AM

    haha on point!

    to be honest, i wish snapchat was more of a 'show me where you are, or what you're up to right at this moment' app. i really enjoy seeing more mundane things, like tiny part of a daily routine. anything that sheds light on what people do everyday instead of those special moments is interesting to me.

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    1. UnknownJune 3, 2013 at 4:48 PM

      Agreed!
      My favorites are when my friends take videos of banal street scenes and draw all over them.

      I, however, am rarely so creative.
      You probably are. You creative designer, you.

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  6. lesimplyclassyJune 3, 2013 at 5:43 PM

    oh my god the mona lisa one.
    i try to update instagram everyday and if im not doing anything interesting that day then it is selfie time. It's like 'I swear im still cool have a selfie lol #runsaway'. I'm guilty of all of these so definitely self expression...definitely..

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    1. UnknownJune 3, 2013 at 5:48 PM

      lol #runsaway

      bahahah

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  7. SimonaJune 4, 2013 at 2:55 AM

    The Mona Lisa one is genius! I think it has to do with making contact, it is saying well this is me, where are you. If you post only selfies or tons of the same well yes then it is a bit narcissistic.
    Simona
    www.lakenmoon.com

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  8. AnonymousJune 6, 2013 at 2:39 AM

    HAHAHAH the Yahoo! answer one made me laugh literally (no it's not because I'm amazed at the number of insecure, too-much-time-in-their-hands people). And honestly, every time I took a selfie of myself, or a friend doing a selfie with me, I CAN'T HELP BUT FEEL WEIRD! Honestly! But I also have friends who are zuperrr confident about her selfies, post them to Instagram and FB EVERYTIME. I was like, "Whoa?!! What skills do you use?"
    But when my own selfies yurn out good, I was like, "wow I'm pretty, let's post this". So yep, I have a love-hate relationship with selfies

    Nadya
    eyeshadow illustrator
    The Dilly Chic

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  9. Behind the MirrorJune 12, 2013 at 10:03 AM

    Great Post!!!
    Love

    http://www.behindthemirrorbeauty.com/

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