sel·fie /ˈselfē/ (noun)- a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website. (oxforddictionaries.com)
Pretty much everyone knows the above definition and recognizes “the selfie” as one of social media’s largest and most recent trends. However, most people don’t stop to think about what these virtual self-portraits can represent.
But the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities decided it was going to. The two-part exhibit, “The Art of the Selfie: How Selfies Create Confidence,” was created to discuss how teenage girls view their own beauty.
The first part of the exhibit was a workshop on March 25 at the East Lansing Public Library. Girls in grades 7-12 were invited to think about self-esteem and beauty in the US. They then learned from artists how to express themselves and their ideas through selfies.
The second part of the exhibit was the debut of the gallery April 27, also at the East Lansing Public Library. The gallery showcased the pieces of art that the girls had created at the March 25 workshop.
“I think this program is important because it helps show girls and women that we define ourselves and what beauty is,” says Shannon Lake, teen/lead librarian at the East Lansing Public Library. “It shouldn’t be what someone else says. With the selfie project, we wanted girls to realize that their natural selves and beauty is what people find beautiful.”
The event, sponsored by the RCAH, Project 60/50 and the East Lansing Public Library, will be on display through the month of May.
“selfie.”2014. In oxforddictionaries.com. Retrieved April 30, 2014. from www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/selfie.2014.
I think that selfies do create confidence. Posting a selfie on social networks can get
you a lot of positive comments from the public , and that can create confidence.
Selfies are fun and teenage girls use selfies to express how their feeling or to show off
a new outfit or to show off a new hairstyle and by dong this it shows how confident
they are about themselves. Many teenagers have low self esteem and selfies makes them feel pretty and gives them confidence. So I totally agree with the article.
Selfies definitely portray a low self-esteem driven by the media to take a picture make a funny face and edit the picture so that it looks totally like a different person all to get a bit of attention. It says that the person is not confident enough to show who they really are and will do funny things to get attention. In my opinion it is really sad that people do it.
By uploading a selfie to the internet exposes the person to abuse to people who comment on it or the opposite, when people like their pictures it creates false confidence of a person you think you are but not and when you meet the person you saw the selfie of, lets say most of the cases the person personality is completely different to what you imagined and concluded from the picture.
This article sparked my interest because selfies have become a huge part of our trendy modern life, even a song has been released which has attracted 92 791 6889 viewers on Youtube.
I have to disagree with this article as selfies put forward a false view of what people actually look like and primarily seek approval and attention. Selfies are normally edited making people look very different to what they actually look like in real life. This can lift ones self confidence for a short period of time but then when they are seen in public by people who have viewed their selfies on media, their self confidence can be dropped completely because people will be disappointed because they have a different perspective of what the person actually looks like. This creates a false sense of reality which will emotionally effect the individual.
In my personal opinion, self confidence is crucial as it promotes self satisfaction in people, consent to truth and cheerfulness, and not be focused on seeking attention, constant approval and love from viewers. Permanent usage of selfies could give rise to emotional disorders like depression, jealousy and paranoia. This does not boost your confidence but rather destructs it which could negatively effect a persons life, their future profession and ones personal development going forward.
People normally think that “selfies” are perfered by those who have confidence in their appearances. Now, the question is, where does this confidence come from?
It seems like this post answers the question to the question above. Nowdays, lookism is an issue in our society. People are judged by their appearances and thier confidence is also distinguished by other people’s judgement and descriptions. However, this must not be the case. Beauty starts from loving oneself.
I strongly agree with the statement in the post: “natural selves and beauty is what people find beautiful.” It is not that confidence that give rise to “selfies” but “selfies” that give rise to confidence.
I am truly facinated to hear what Residential College in the Arts and Humanities are doing. Giving self-esteem and confidence to little girls is such a meaningful activity. I hope all of us will see the true beauty of ourselves.
“SELFIES” is real.
We normally think that “selfies” are prefered by those who have confidence in their appearace. Now, the question is, where does that confidence come from?
It seems like this post answers the question above. Confidence comes from accepting who we are and finding the natural beauty in ourselves. This is what I felt while reading this post. Actually, I am very facinated about what the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities is doing. Allowing the little girls to see what their true beauty is and giving them confidence of who they really are, is such a meaningful activity.
I strongly agree with tha saying that natural selves and beauty is what people find beautiful and I hope that all the young ladies will recognize the true beauty they have inside of them.
“SELFEIS!!” they can do something real.
Taking selfies is not a way of buildings ones confidence since they are not are true reflection of that person. In fact the crazy poses that one does when taking a selfie proves that they are not confident enough to take a picture of their true reflection. I see selfies as a way of showing everyone in social networks that you are so ashamed of how you look, you actually hide it by pulling a weird pose.
I fully agree with Lebohang Tefu. I also think selfies promote cyber bulling far more than enhancing young girls’ self esteems. Such social networks have always been a path of cyber bulling of teenagers and this results in of teenagers committing suicide n
I fully agree with Lebohang Tefu. I also think selfies promote cyber bulling far more than enhancing young girls’ self esteems. Such social networks have always been a path of cyber bulling of teenagers and this results in of teenagers committing suicide
I personally believe that users of the social media determine whether “selfies” boost or destroy a persons self confidence. Firstly, I believe that merely taking a “selfie” and posting it on a social media website already shows that a person has self confidence. You are basically uploading a picture of yourself onto the world wide web, making it available to the opinions and comments of the entire world. Obviously if people leave flattering comments it will lead to boosting of ones self esteem. However we need to keep in mind that we live in a cruel world. These days people have a very narrow perspective on the subject of beauty. “Hollywood” and the social media depicts what should be accepted as beautiful and people just blindly follow these opinions. Therefore, more often than not, people leave nasty comments aimed at destroying peoples love for themselves. I also believe that people use selfies as a form of expression, and as far as I know, we all have freedom of expression. Therefore people need to learn that if you don not have something nice to say, rather do not say it all. Allow people the freedom to take a selfie, upload it to wherever they like, and to be confident in how they look, and through that gain confidence in who they are.
“Selfies” for attention seekers or to build confidence? Why do girls need to flaunt themselves on Facebook, Twitter or Istagram to feel good about themselves? The famous recent trend named the “selfie” might be doing more harm than good. Psychologically the “selfie” can ruin a girls life, but how? Media has set certain criteria on how girls need to look and if those criteria are not met, you are simply not good enough! A girls confidence could be built up by a “selfie” but only if the public gives their stamp of approval on how she looks. If there are no “likes” or comments stating how beautiful she is, is she then not accepted by the public? She might and probably will think she isn’t. Surprisingly, studies have been done on “selfies” and doctors and psychiatrists have stated that the “selfie” can be a confidence booster or a confidence destroyer, and this depends on the view of beauty by the social media. I must say I do commend The Residential College in the Arts and Humanities for trying to make girls and women believe they are beautiful but will it actually work? I believe for the girls and women that fit the standards of beauty set by the media it will. But for those who fit into another type of beauty that the public don’t see as beautiful it might do more harm than good.
I totally agree with this article since I also believe that selfies can create confidence especially to teenage girls. I think taking a selfie is a way to recognize your own beauty. Through the process of viewing your self through the camera and taking different poses to show your beauty and to convey the beauty through the camera lens helps one to realize the true beauty of themselves. When taking a selfie, people tend to try different poses, angles and faces until they reach the final pose in the best angle with the most beautiful face. They get a chance to see themselves in different angles, with different faces which could be much different from their everyday-mirror-view of themselves. This is because when taking a selfie, one intends to upload it on the social media expecting great comments on how beautiful they are. By uploading their favourite selfie on social media and getting many likes and great comments creates confidence as these likes and comments could be a way of people acknowledging their beauty.
Teenagers, mainly teenage girls, tend to be extremely self-critical concerning the way they look. “Selfies” are seen as a positive contribution to the new generation and the ever evolving society we’re a part of today because it allows one to control their image. By getting good comments about an uploaded “selfie” one’s self confidence is encouraged and young girls, in particular, have a greater self-esteem and see themselves as more worthy. However, getting bad reviews can easily drive a young teenager into a state of not feeling accepted or good enough. Due to society, your self-esteem becomes tied to how many likes your “selfie” receives, what you look like or how you dress and no longer who you are and with social networks, one can get approval of their image in no time at all. Scientifically, this is a good way for youngsters to find their individuality and develop their identity but things can easily get out of control due to over confidence and even worse, terribly mean remarks and eventually cyber bullying. However, at the end of the day, It’s how the situation is handled, but one should be happy with who they are and try to better themselves from within. Your looks are a reflection of who you are as a person, therefore every good person possesses their own form of beauty.
The selfies that people take can lead to create self confidence but I believe that it can sometimes cause more harm than good to girls.I believe it takes a lot of self confidence to upload a picture on a social media site for the world to see and comment on. When making the choice to put a photo out in the world you must be confident enough with how you look to brush the negative comments of as nothing. BUT the world we live in has taught us that you have to look a certain way to be accepted by the world. Many girls will alter their photos in such a way that they are unrecognizable before they upload it. Also the negative comments which some girls receive when they do upload a selfie lead them to believe that they are not good enough or pretty enough. I do also believe that while uploading selfies takes confidence it also can lead to girls constantly uploading photos in order to get confirmation about how pretty they are so that their self confidence level can be up held.
The selfies that people take can lead to create self confidence but I believe that it can sometimes cause more harm than good to girls. Yes seflies can create self confidence. I believe it takes a lot of self confidence to upload a picture on a social media site for the world to see and comment on. When making the choice to put a photo out in the world you must be confident enough with how you look to brush the negative comments of as nothing. BUT the world we live in has taught us that you have to look a certain way to be accepted by the world. Many girls will alter their photos in such a way that they are unrecognizable before they upload it. Also the negative comments which some girls receive when they do upload a selfie lead them to believe that they are not good enough or pretty enough. I do also believe that while uploading selfies takes confidence it also can lead to girls constantly uploading photos in order to get confirmation about how pretty they are so that their self confidence level can be up held.
This was very interesting to read because I have always seen girls posting “selfies” on social networks like Facebook and Instagram. I never knew self-portraits could give a girl self-confidence. In my opinion Most girls believe that social media influences the definition of beauty. They only post selfies because it is a latest trend in society. They want to feel like they are part of something worthwhile. I don’t think that there would be as many selfies if it wasn’t a worldwide trend.
We live in a society driven by the media and it is all about what the it thing is. The media sets trends and we follow, defines beauty and we work towards reaching the standard of that supposed beauty. Either you like it or not the influence of the media always stares right into you. The question is how does one stray from such influence? It shouldn’t be about what others say but rather what you think about yourself.If one takes a selfie and post it a social network you expect some kind of good comments ,but what happens when one does not receive the expected comments? You will probably be crushed and start looking down on yourself . With this regard I therefore say selfies do not solely build one’s confidence but rather the minute you look yourself in the mirror and say I am beautiful regardless of what others say.
I beg to differ, selfies do create confidence. A selfie from the given definition is; a photograph that one has taken of one’s self…and uploaded to a social media website. My interest is on the latter, that is uploading the photograph on a social media website. Social websites are platforms where any individual can comment and say almost anything about what ever has been uploaded. This means that one has to build/summon lot’s of confidence to upload a selfie on social media websites because it leaves them vulnerable to criticism. This then creates confidence in that having uploaded the photo it gives one the feeling of accomplishment (uploading the photo despite the possibility of criticism).
The fact that blood sugar levels can affect your anger levels is very fascinating. Many people have actually done studies in this area and it seems very plausible. In 2010, psychologist Brad Bushman of Ohio State University, Columbus, endeavoured to figure out just what the role of blood sugar is. His studies suggested that higher glucose levels can make strangers less likely to treat each other aggressively. The question is, were these studies worth all the time and money? Not exactly. This study has proven what many people already know through living. It certainly isn’t news to me that hungry people are somewhat cranky. While hunger can, and does, make us cranky, we are humans and humans should make the right choices.
Much of our daily lives are influenced by what we eat. Either too much sugar, or too much meat, or too much of anything can influence the way we feel and act during the day. Therefore, it is important for people to make sure that they eat the right combination of foods.
The article holds very strong points in that women and girls alike should not let society determine what beauty is, and that the selfie project will allow girls and women to develop their own self-confidence and self-esteem and allow them to escape the cruel expectations of society. I personally feel that projects like these are well needed and provide millions of people who may be in bad places hope and to see that they can define who they want to be and not have to live up to societies expectations.
SELFIES!Hilarious,that’s what i think of them.
Almost everyday I see people taking “selies” with these funny characters on their faces.These characters they make merely defines who they are.Basically they are trying to portray an image that they are not which signifies low self-esteem and confidence levels.If you feel good about yourself,there’s no need to imitate what you can never be.
Selfies are futile.They give one the platform of being confident in a picture but in reality, its the complete opposite.Typical example,Mbali might take a “crazy” picture of herself but when you meet her personally,you might find that shes this shy person with low confidence levels.
Selfies are just a way of manipulating a person into thinking that they are confident.