What Your Selfie Says About You

The selfie often gets a bad rap. The selfie, some say, is a beacon of our current self-absorbed, look-at-me culture. We should roll our eyes at those up close snapshots of best sides, silly faces, and new dos crying out for praise.

I think there’s another side of the selfie to love. One that says “Look at me,” rather than “Look at me!” A selfie is a celebration of self; an acceptance of who you are in the moment.

There are so many dimensions to what your selfie says about you. A selfie can whisper “I like this about myself today,” say “Laugh with me,”, or boldly declare “I am beautiful.”

A selfie can explain a personality in a way 50 words never could. With selfies, the online world suddenly opens up to reveal the people behind the usernames. I’m delighted each time a random selfie thread crops up in a Facebook group and participants come alive through their unique features, distinct grins, raised eyebrows, and smirks.

Selfies connect me to every day moments of friends and family at a distance. I like cheering on bold hair styles, complimenting that vintage dress, grinning at your dog licking your face, and seeing you finish the big race. I enjoy exchanging googly eyed selfies, selfies at the big game, selfies on your date, and selfies declaring”I did it!,” “I’m mad!” or “today blows.”

Selfies are liberating, confidence-building fun. I started posting my own selfies after taking one and realizing that I truly loved a picture of myself for the first time in years. My selfies started with make up and self-conscious posting. Over time, it became a way to say, “Mindy was here” and record every day moments. I post whether I am “picture ready” or not that day and doing so is an enormous step toward self-acceptance.

Selfies make sure you stay in the picture, rather than fade into the background. They allow me to see you, not someone else’s filtered version of you. And I like your photos of you best.

So, I say ignore those critics and keep posting selfies – dressed up, make-up free, sweaty from a run, fresh out of the salon, yoga pants sporting, high heels wearing, grinning, frowning, laughing so hard your face scrunches up funny. And I’m going to “like” it. Not because you crave the attention or need the affirmation; but because I shared in a glimpse of how you see yourself and I like what your selfie says about you.

A huge “thank you” to friends and readers who shared their selfies for this post. Your photos brought my vision for this post to life.