The word “Selfie” has become a regular household term used amongst millennial’s and adults. The word Selfie was first used in 2013 by an Australian man after taking a drunken self-portrait on his 21st Birthday. The man who invented the word SELFIE. Since then celebrities have embraced the trend, and now Over 1 million Selfies are made every day in America. This is a real epidemic and the cause of low self-esteem, depression, body dysmorphia and many other mental illnesses. We are all guilty of snapping a few selfies, but we need to be aware and conscious of how this is affecting our mental health.
Selfies And Narcissism
Kim Kardashian, one of the most famous celebrities in the world, has even made a book about Selfies. Appropriately named ” Selfish,” well that sums it all up. It is unfortunate That Mrs. Kardashian West does not realize how she has inspired narcissistic tendencies in the social media world. We, of course, can not solely put the blame on her, but young girls look up to Kim, they watch her every move and buy her makeup line and copy her style. Kim has sadly become a role model for these girls. It has become such a trend that you can even find this hipster word in the dictionary.
Cover of Kims book SELFISH
Better Get A Selfie Stick
All over the globe Selfies Sticks, are being sold and used by travelers and people who have become obsessed with themselves and their appearance. A selfie stick is a tall plastic stick that has an apparatus attached to the top to safely hold your smartphone and allows you to get that perfect angle. It is a trendy product and whoever invented it is most likely a millionaire. No longer do you need long arms to capture you and all your best friends in one shot, the selfie stick does it for you. Having a Selfie Stick while traveling alone is useful if you want to capture your travels, but why not have someone take your photo for you? Do we really need to walk around with Selfie Sticks? When I see people with these plastic self-portrait sticks, it makes me think they are Narcissistic.
The most famous SELFIE ever taken.
Everybody Is Doing It!
At the Oscars in 2014 Comedian, Ellen DeGeneres took one of the most famous Selfies of all time. Ellen was probably poking fun at the new trend, but this photo went viral as it captured many famous faces. I agree that taking selfies can be fun, but I fear that humans are becoming more and more obsessed with their appearance. The rise in plastic surgery and other body altering procedures is at record highs due to people not approving of the way they look in their self-portraits. Loving yourself and excepting the way you look naturally is healthy, vanity is not something we should be so focused on heavily.
No More Photoshop
We know that the perfect images on social media and billboards have caused body issues among young girls and women. These ideal photoshopped pics make women feel inadequate and have affected the mental health and self-worth of many girls. It is very sad, and some fashion brands are aware and have started using more realistic models to help facilitate healthy self-images. Interestingly enough women are guilty of taking more selfies than men. I have made my share of selfies, but I am not obsessed with my looks. It is crucial that we take care of ourselves so that we feel good, not just look good. Most of us are not rich and famous with our personal glam squad to put us in full hair and makeup every day. This is not realistic. We need to think about the young girls in the world and teach them to love their natural bodies the way they are. OPTOFF.
Companies who promote healthy body images