An article on Cosmopolitan has captured my attention: Are selfies bad for our self-esteem?
The writer answers the question with a resounding yes and I’m inclined to agree. I am guilty of taking selfies, often on a daily basis, to check how I look. Sometimes I look at my selfie and think, “hey I’m actually looking decent enough today” and I get a small boost of self-esteem. But is this feeling long lasting? No. A few hours later, I take another selfie and even after trying every Instagram filter, I’m still not satisfied with how I look, leading to a dip in self-esteem and a low mood.
The problem is that the selfie is all about your external self, and brings our focus more and more to seeing beauty in a blinkered way. My Instagram feed is full of celebrities obsessed with sharing themselves looking perfect and enjoying their ‘perfect’ life (Kim Kardashian being a great example). If only they would show themselves with a red, sweaty face at the gym, or with windswept, bedraggled hair after a walk in the rain. Then maybe young girls would get a real self-esteem boost from realising that embracing imperfections and focussing on your fabulous personality is the definition of real beauty…
I am going to go for a week without taking selfies – join me and let’s focus on our inner beauty instead. Who wants a duck face like Kim anyway?!
What do you think of the selfie: good or bad for self-esteem?
Read the full article here: http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/reports/a26082/selfies-bad-self-esteem/
Boost Esteem 
Beautiful Piece… I have two view points on this…I agree with you to some degree that selfies can be a way of seeking approval from others especially on social media platforms and that can mean a low self esteem. We sometimes take pictures so that others can approve of our beauty…On the other hand selfies can mean that we appreciate ourselves enough that we want the world to see that beauty. It can mean that we think we are so beautiful and we appreciate that so much that we want to capture those images and flaunt it to the world.
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Thank you so much for your comment 🙂
I totally agree with your point, sometimes I take a selfie and think ‘wow I look amazing’ and I get a big boost from it.
However, there are times when I take it 10 times and I end up feeling low because I don’t look ‘good enough’. This is when it becomes more destructive and it’s a shame that it brings everyone’s focus onto the physical beauty of someone rather than what’s inside.
So I guess the selfie is a double edged sword in conclusion!
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