Recently there was a video circulating on social media. It was a Southern lady imitating a group of girls. They were out shopping and taking selfies. She basically made fun of the "youth of today" and their picture taking habits. I know she was trying to be funny. I know she has a right to her opinion. But still. It really bothered me. Maybe because I have a daughter close to the same age as the ones she was talking about? Or maybe because in a world where a teenage girl's self esteem is so precarious, why would you do that? Yes, the girls were flashing their peace signs. Yes, they were sticking their tongues out. Yes, they were giggling and taking their own pictures. So what? If you've been on any social media, you'd know that today's "tongue sticking out, hand signals" is yesterday's duck face. It's a trend. It looks stupid but we looked pretty stupid in the 90's with our big hair and tight rolled jeans too. Why take time out of your day to post a video (that went viral by the way) just to be mean and make fun of those girls? I just don't get it. If you are worried about the youth of today, shouldn't we be trying to build them up?
Being a teenage girl (or boy for that matter) is hard. It's awkward and stressful and dramatic and messy. You're self conscious and unsure and hormonal. You feel the pressure of sports and academics and extracurriculars. I know the teens of today have way more on their plates than we did "back in the day." If these kids can take a selfie and feel good about themselves, then let them. If it takes 100 shots and you get one great one and can share it, go for it. If you've got a great group of friends like my daughter does and they all tell you how great the picture is and "like" it, then that's even better. Who doesn't want to post a selfie and hear how great they look? I know I would love it!
I know some of my favorite pictures have been selfies. Our Christmas card theme last year was actually all selfies. I have so many more pictures now of myself and my kids and even more with my husband because it's so quick to just snap a selfie. I guess my whole point of this post is to not judge. If you see someone doing their "selfie face" or snapping several selfies until they get the best one, maybe they just want to feel good about their self. After all, we should all love our selfie. :)
And just to lighten the mood, I thought I'd share our most recent epic selfie. My daughter was gone and wanted to know when we were meeting her, so I snapped this selfie of my husband and myself. Needless to say, it was more for laughs than anything but I love it. It makes me smile every time I look at it.
Love your selfie...even if it's a bit ridiculous.
