WQ - The Modern Self-Portrait

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I'm participating in the Wednesday Quotes link-up hosted by Marsha at Always Write. 

I guess it shouldn't surprise any of us that among all the silly 'official' days to recognize all kinds of everyday things, there is a National Selfie Day. It's today, June 21, so if you haven't taken a selfie yet, you still have time! My first thought on having a special day to recognize selfies is somewhat self-indulgent and pointless, because we surely have more than enough selfies all over social media. But upon further reflection (and not in a mirror for a bathroom selfie!), I think there may be enough pros to at least balance the cons of the ubiquitous selfie.

We think of selfies as a thoroughly modern phenomenon, made possible by smartphones with cameras, and made accessible by social media. And this is true, but artists have been painting or drawing selfies long before the first cameras were invented.

I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best. ~Frida Kahlo

Every man's work, whether it be literature, or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself. ~Samuel Butler

Van Gogh - but with flowers!

Self-portraits are a way of revealing something about oneself. ~Eric Kandel

This selfie was taken a few days
after a surgery - revealing how
tired I was, but also that I was
satisfied with my recovery and that
I'd been able to wash my hair by myself.

What do our selfies reveal about us? One thing about my selfies, is that if it's with anyone else, I likely let someone else hold the camera! Every time! So is it really a selfie if I'm not the one clicking the camera button?

Most often it's my daughter who gets the honor

Mother's Day 2019

A good selfie is when you successfully capture the feeling of that very moment! ~Anamika Mishra

Friendship!

Family!

Time together!

Weekend Adventure!

A Favorite Place!

Waiting . . .

No job is complete until the selfie is posted. ~Ashok Kallarakkal

Taking a cruise to the Falls!

First Pentatonix concert!

Seeing a couple of favorite artists for the first time!

First Twenty One Pilots concert!

A mirror selfie in the lighthouse to show that I made it up those narrow staircases just a couple months after my knee surgery! 

Successful Christmas season choral concert!

Made it to our destination on a long hike!

It's easy to be critical or skeptical of the social media account that is full of selfies. Is the person trying to prove something? To show they are attractive, or talented, or important? To draw attention to themselves?

Selfies, they call 'em, and that makes sense 'cause even though they're sending these pictures to others, it still smells like selfish to me. Is that why they call it an "I phone"? 'Cause it's all about me me me. Like talking to hear yourself talk." ~David Duchovny

Or are we too quick to judge motives?

Selfies often deceive us into believing that some people love themselves, or the way they look. ~Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Last year when I started doing a weekly photo challenge, "Selfie" and "Outfit" were prompts that appeared quarterly, and encouraged participants to turn the camer towards themselves. I was hesitant but got more comfortable with it as I practiced.

Just because we share our selfies doesn't necessarily mean we're self-centered. But here's the potential danger, I think. We get so focused on getting the perfectly posed shot for Instagram that we don't even really have the experience of the moment, or we worry so much about how we look as we set up the group photo and take tons of shots to choose from that we lose sight of the relationships we're trying to portray. Often without realizing it, we're subconsciously planning our Facebook post and craving the approval of the likes and comments we'll get, and putting way too much importance on that. 

Selfies have begun to replace memories - likes and comments have begun to replace lasting conversations - illusive friends and followers lists have begun to replace real reliable friendship. And this is nothing to be taken for granted. ~Abhijit Naskar, The Gospel of Technology

We sometimes take photos (or record a video) so that we can later see what was happening while we were busy taking photos (or recording a video)." ~Mokokoma Mokhonoana

More memories and fewer photos is usually a good balance. It's okay to see and enjoy the entire experience rather than see it all on your phone's screen. In fact, it better! But if you're going to take a few pictures for the scrapbook, it's okay to get yourself into the picture because you were there and were a part of it! 

Maybe we're all obsessed with taking selfies not because we're all narcissists, but because after a while, living one's life solely from behind the eyeballs can become a bit terrifying. It's the same reason we stare at ourselves in the mirror: to make sure we're still there, the character of our life movie. ~Chase Griffin, What's On the Menu?

I'm not sure I'd go that far, but like most moms, I find that my photo albums are full of pictures of my kids and their activities, and of Dad or other family members with the kids, but not that many pictures taken by someone else that shows that I was there too. I was doing that activity or making that memory with my kids as well. Ironically, also like many moms, when I am in the picture, I don't like how I look. 

Taking and sharing our selfies reminds us that we were living life too, and maybe it helps us be a little more comfortable with how we look. Even if we don't have a perfect complexion or the right outfit, we deserve to be included in a memory. Even if we're not at our ideal weight or our expression looks dorky, maybe we'll want to look back at that day and be reminded of what we accomplished or how much fun we had. And maybe someday our kids will really want a picture of themselves with mom. Or with grandma.

Nonny and Auntie with Veronica

Nonny and Aubrey selfies

With the selfie, a photographer has finally found his place in a photograph. ~Amit Kalantri, Wealth of Words

How do you feel about filters? They can be a lot of fun, but sometimes I wonder whether we have realistic expectations thanks to all the editing tools available to us. But guess what? Even instant filters and photo editing to make our selfies look better aren't new:

When I did my self-portrait, I left all the pimples out because you always should. Pimples are a temporary condition and they don't have anything to do with what you really look like. Always omit the blemishes - they're not part of the good picture you want. ~Andy Warhol

He makes a really good point, don't you agree?

I'll give the Scripture the final word, because no matter how many selfies we share or don't, what we look like and how we present ourselves is not all about playing to the camera. 

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

~I Peter 3:3-4~

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday Quotes is hosted by Marsha at Always Write. This post will be linked at #WQ #25: National Selfie Day

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