Hello, lovlies!
Today I would like to discuss the somewhat controversial topic of selfies. This twenty first century phenomenon consists of taking candid pictures of yourself and then posting them to social media sites such as Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. When famous people post selfies, such as Ellen Degeneres' famous 'groupie' as some people are now calling it, we, the people oooh and ahhh over how wonderfully human they are. But when normal people such as you and I pose for these Selfies, we receive mixed reviews. Some tell us to get over ourselves and assume that we are self absorbed, even though I am pretty sure that the Jenner girls are a lot farther along that path than I am. (Or ever will be, thank God.)
Above is a good example of a garden variety selfie. Phone in view and bathroom in the back. No shame, just me. And I'm fine with that. Some people take object to my selfie, and this is where the glorious double standard begins.
On the firsthand Selfies have become a means of self expression, artistic triumph and an all around excuse to take a picture of yourself when you feel pretty or are simply having a good time. For example, beauty gurus like Graveyard Girl and Zoella take selfies to show off awesome makeup, fantastic hair and amazing clothes and shoes. You could say that Instagram is simply the site for sharing your life via selfies.
All in all I would say that is fine and dandy, except for the little problem that I like to call majority rules. Graveyard Girl has over four million people in her 'swamp family' and Zoella was just given a spot in one of the more recent issues of Seventeen magazine. These ladies and many like them have hundreds of thousands of followers, so when they post pictures it becomes the next big thing among their fans, and quite frankly, most people on the sites. They are allowed to post hauls or show off three hundred dollar shoes since it isn't bragging because they're social media site famous.
Now don't get me wrong; I love both of these gals and faithfully watch their youtube videos because they are entertaining, give fantastic beauty advice and do amazing tutorials. However, because these girls are slowly, but surely becoming part of the one percent category of the world's population it makes life harder for those underneath them to achieve their dreams.
I've been trying very hard to make it as an alternative model. I've done some shoots, most of which are sponsored, paid for and arranged by me. I don't receive services, products or endorsements for free, so have to pave my own way. Many famous youtubers and bloggers are 'contacted' by clothing sites, makeup brands and other affiliations to promote their products for free. I've seen some girls receive whole makeup collections just to talk about how good they are. AKA, pandering because they have fifty thousand followers. Is this fair?
In reality, nothing in the social network world is honestly 'fair.' Companies choose favorites and act accordingly even though there are girls who have put their life's work into a blog, Instagram account or Deviantart page. I feel that it really isn't all about what you do, but rather who you end up knowing by being good at selling yourself.
So what we end up with is Bethany Mota having her own line at Aeropostale, Zoella with a collection of bath and beauty products and Graveyard Girl getting to model for Dollskill. These girls are examples of the elite youtubers who have achieved their fame and as a result can leave other girls feeling inadequate. Yes, seeing beauty youtube gurus making their dream come true can be inspiring on a certain level, but also, realizing that you aren't really one of them leaves you wondering, what am I missing from my pictures?
Honestly, absolutely nothing. You should take your selfies because they make you happy, not because you are trying appease the masses of online individuals who care more about how many followers someone has rather than the quality of their content. Even if you don't have fifty thousand followers or aren't being given clothing for free just because you are so amazing in some company's eyes does not make you any less an awesome person. Blog, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and take selfies because you enjoy it. That should be the most important thing. Don't give a flying whatever about what other people think because you're famous in your own way.
So take it from me and post pictures of your five dollar thrift store shoes and understand that just because someone else has a gazillion more followers and a supposedly better life because of it doesn't mean they do. Focus on creating a unique you rather than trying to replicate a boring them. You deserve to be just as awesome no matter how many followers or blog views you have. Enjoy your own existence and own it!
Be True To You! <3 <3 <3
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