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.
It is quite true that selfies can boost confidence, because it allows you to reflect on your strong points as well as how far you have come from where you were to where you are.
There’s clearly a fine line between narcissism and self admiration (not to mention desperate cries for attention). Let’s not shy away from the fact that selfies range from simple natural self portraits to ridiculous images portraying insecurity. It’s all around us, on social networks for example, people will post irrelevant pictures and then endure confidence crushing negative feedback from the social media masses.
In my point of view, I think selfies are a good way to boost someone’s confidence because you are given a chance to take a picture in a way in which you will feel good about, you take your time when taking the picture, no one is there to pressurize you and you can also smile any how you feel like smiling. Therefore I feel that a selfie is good way to boost a persons confidence especially when you get good comments or positive response about your picture on the social media.
I think it depends on how people receive it. The response from people in the comments section have the power to build or shutter her or his confidence. With internet bullying spreading like wild fires all over the internet it is more likely that even if the selfie does look good fellow bloggers may make fun of it. it also depends on the sites you blog on, some may be decent some may not. Nowadays we have apps which can nicely enhance photos which may create a false confidence that collapses in reality leading to ones sadness and depression.
This topic is more like an catch 22. I believe that a selfie can boost or destroy your self confidence but definitely it will not create self confidence. A selfie that is uploaded on social media could either have a good response that will build self confidence in believing that people admired the picture. It can also lead to bad comment witch will destroy your self confidence in making you feel unwanted and ugly. A other thing that has to be taken in reckoning is that every persons view of beauty is different.
It has been said in the past that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The initiative to boost self-esteem by encouraging people to take “selfies” is redundant. How can an intangible trait such as self perception be greatly influenced by mega-pixels on a digital device. What this suggests is that the more pictures you take and that you display of yourself, the more self assured you become. Self-perception is determined by how we perceive experiences and how we respond to them. You implicate yourself as a superficial person if you degrade self-esteem to the level of a digital illustration.
In my opinion, I feel that selfies have become a platform for people to judge each other. Some judgements are not always friendly and this can lower one’s confidence instead of boosting it. I’ve also realized from experience that girls tend to compare themselves with other girls. Attractions of the opposite sex happen between people with the nice selfies. All I’m saying is that people should be sure when posting selfies and make sure u have the right people following you.
Very interesting article i must say, and i do agree with it. The more u take ‘selfies’ its the more u become familiar with yourself its like looking in the mirror every minute, as u see yourself you will start noticing yours flaws and also your strong points, the more you look at them you will generally start accepting them and loving them because they are what makes you, instead of avoiding them and allowing them to depress you, you start to embrace them and in this way you are boosting your confidence level. The fact that you upload your pictures on social networks shows that you are confident and you feel beautiful about yourself, a person who feels ugly and has a low self esteem wont have the drive to upload their ‘selfies’ because they are not confident and are scared of the feedback they will receive from the public.
I believe in self acceptance, whether the next person celebrates u or not it is importantto love yourself as you are. My point is i don’t really get how this will helpp.
live up to the beautu God has granted you and be happy
I don’t understand how a “selfie” can enhance a girl’s self-confidence, I mean it’s a normal picture – if the girl doesn’t like the picture she will delete it and if she likes it she will upload it on social networks. If it really did increase their self confidence then they would not delete those pictures where they think they look ugly.
I am still not convinced that selfies enhance young girls self confidence because when a girl posts a picture in such a website a receive bad comments or no comments at all. She will start feeling unattractive and will therefore lose self confidence.