Selfies!

There’s been a lot of hate going around for selfies, so much that it inspired a #365FeministSelfie thing that’s sweeping instagram, and twitter, and everywhere, and I’m doing it too. I keep wanting to post why inside the caption, but there’s too little space – at least for it to reach twitter, so I’m posting here instead.
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I take selfies because they help me see myself as human – when I ordinarily don’t see myself that way at all. I try to maintain the unrealistic standards I grew up with and always failed, and I still fail, because I’m human.
Selfies help keep me from feeling like I’m floating away when I’m dealing with disassociation. Seeing myself in my body helps keep me grounded and in the present.
I take selfies because they remind me that it’s okay to just be, in this moment, whatever I am – perfect, imperfect, sick, messy, stunning, tired, upset, depressed, happy.
I take selfies because for a minute I can see myself objectively, outside of my nitpicking and criticizing of the flaws no one else notices. I can look at myself from the outside and just see a person, beautiful in my own right just because.
I take selfies on days I feel horrible and I feel like I look horrible because that doesn’t change who I am or how much I’m worth.
I take selfies to document moments and memories, so I can be in the narrative too. Picture of a Farris Wheel? nice. Selfie of me and my spouse in a Farris Wheel? Actually means something.
They also enable me to just say “fuck it” to stereotypes and expectations that I hold/feel held to, and that itself, is incredibly freeing.
And yes, I am wearing the same hoodie 3-days in a row, I don’t fucking care, it’s comfy and I like it, I don’t need to impress anyone.
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Selfies aren’t about vanity, or narcissism; selfies are for documenting, supporting, reminding, and grounding – for me, anyway.