How many selfies of yourself do you currently have on your phone right now? I was able to figure this out by looking at my GooglePhotos photo album (which is great at storing your photos and saving space on your phone btw) and from 2016 to today I have taken OVER 800 selfies. This includes the selfies I’ve taken with other people and the pictures that people have taken of me alone. What I’m having trouble with right now is deciding if 800 is a good number or a bad number. Think about it, our society tells us how many hours of T.V. is too much T.V.; we’re able to quantify how many hours of sleep we should get and how much junk food is too much junk food, but who’s to say how many selfies are too many selfies?
This thought came to me after a debate I had this week in my Digital Media Literacy class. Our class was split into two groups; the first side argued that selfies are a form of empowerment, and the second side argued that selfies are narcissistic. I was on the side that argued selfies are a form of empowerment (a.k.a. the WINNING side), and one main argument our side had that really stuck with me was that selfies increase representation of minority groups in the media, therefore empowering individuals who may feel underrepresented. After one of my group members said this, I began to realize how true this statement was for me!
The first selfie I ever took was in the sixth grade when I first made an Instagram. I posted this selfie and probably received only two likes on the post, but that didn’t matter to me. What mattered was that over the years, as I started to use Instagram more, I began to feel beautiful in my own skin. And when I say that, I literally mean my skin. As a dark skinned black woman, there were times where I used to feel unattractive and not beautiful because of my skin and afrocentric features. I’ve heard “she’s too dark,” and “your lips are big,” too many times throughout my tween and teen years. There were even times when I was concerned about going outside during the summer because I didn’t want my skin to get darker!
I realized that part of the reason I felt this way was because growing up, I rarely seen dark skinned women in the media, who society considered beautiful and attractive. But when I started to use Instagram, this perception changed. I followed people like Ryan Destiny and Lupita Nyong’o; saw their selfies and how people considered them to be beautiful, which they are, and began to feel confident in myself! I also followed Instagram pages who use their platform solely to post and appreciate dark skinned women, like @darkskin.unity and @darkskinwomen. Many may not understand how Instagram and selfies of other people could’ve possibly made me confident and appreciate myself, but it did!
With all this being said, I post and take selfies for myself. All 800 selfies in my camera roll are necessary and intentional. There was a time where I didn’t have this confidence, and taking selfies is just a reminder of how far I’ve come and that I am BEAUTIFUL. I also take selfies and post them for my little sister who looks up to me, and for other young black ladies who may feel insecure about how they look. This may seem like a stretch, but you never know who’s watching and what impact you can make on someone. Through selfies I am able to empower myself and empower others. Period.
(If I could insert the song “Brown Skin Girl” by Beyoncé, right now, I would.)
In Black and Write 