My Perspective: In Defense of the Selfie

“Oh, this is cool,” I think to myself as I whip out my phone, hit the camera button, extend my arm out as far as it will go and click the button.

 

SNAP.

 

I just took a selfie.

 

 

One of officially hundreds I’ve taken since the invention of the smart phone.  “Only narcissists and teenage girls take selfies you know,” joked a friend.

 

And at that moment I got mad. REALLY mad.

 

Selfies get such a bad rap… see horrible video

 

 

But thanks to the selfie I’m part of my family again.

 

In the Pre-selfie years according to iPhoto and the pictures that hung on my walls I didn’t exist.

 

I was the invisible mom.

 

I would lug my big camera to the playground, farmers market, Kindermusik class and snap photos of the littles, their little smiles lighting up my heart and my camera lens.

 

Later at home I’d download the joyful images of my family, stuffing as many photo files as I could onto the already crowded hard drive of my computer. I grew sad as I watched moments on file that I wasn’t and couldn’t be a part of. In the eyes of the photo documentary my children were orphans, their mother absent from their lives, not playing, not smiling, nothing. There was no evidence I even existed.

 

I was there but behind the lens instead of in front of it.

 

There but not REALLY there.

 

My husband, who is also in this predicament isn’t as upset. He HATES to have his photo taken, so his absence was voluntary.

 

Mine however, was not.

 

I wanted to be in those photos with them not because I’m a narcissist, but because sometimes I want to make a funny face for the camera too.

 

 

The thing is it wasn’t just photos of me with my children it was all photos, at what point do we as moms think we don’t deserve some camera time? The lens is used to capture beauty, laughter and joy.

 

I have all those things and I can make a mean duck face too.

 

 

So, I’m advocating for the selfies, get out there and stop being invisible.

 

Make yourself be seen and heard.

 

You are a mom, show it.

 

You are a triathlete, show it.

 

You wore something other than sweat pants, show it.

 

You are beautiful, SHOW it.

 

I’m participating in the #365feministselfie project and you should too.

 

It’s time to be seen.

 

**

Learn more about the #365feministselfie here.