Ask anyone what some of their social media pet peeves are and my money says that in their top five gripes, an overabundance of selfies will be mentioned. I get it -- the hyperactive use of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram goes hand in hand with hyperactive narcissism. I admit to having been annoyed by it in the past, and every now and then I still am. But these days I sincerely try not to be, and this is why:
1. We shouldn't knock anyone with the self-confidence to snap a photo of themselves and say: "Hey guys, I think I look really good right now and I'd like to share that with you." The fact is, anyone who's ever dealt with insecurities throughout their life would understand that this is not always an easy feeling to come by. Some people, myself included, took a long time to love themselves enough to look in the mirror and like what they see. Their moment of narcissism doesn't inherently make them a narcissist, but even if they are one, who is it hurting? Which leads me to my next point...
2. Some people have been lucky enough to have never lived with crippling insecurities and learned to love themselves early on. This is a trait that I've learned to appreciate more than abhor. I used to see someone with brazen confidence and chalk it up to the assumption that they're an egomaniac, but these days, I'm less judgmental, and if I'm being completely honest, I may even be slightly jealous. After all, if I could have skipped the many years of my life where I looked in mirrors and couldn't stomach the reflection, I think I would have opted to. There's an argument that growing into myself has allowed me a sense of humility, but the fact is, looking at myself and thinking I'm beautiful is something I wish I'd been doing for a lot longer than I have been. I wasted a lot of time disliking what makes me inherently me. So I make a point not to judge anyone who found their way to that feeling before I did.
3. I'm a selfie poster. I try to be moderate about it, but how frequently one would say I post them is relative to one's activity on social media. My friends who are active users would probably say I'm not unbearable, and my less than active friends would say that I post more selfies than anyone they know. Neither of these statements are more true than the other. But you know what? Neither of them make me think twice about posting a photo of myself on a day I feel and look fantastic. The thing is: I don't post selfies for anyone but... wait for it... myself. The compliments and the "likes" feel great. I don't deny that. But even if there were zero, I'm not in a mental place where that matters to me anymore.
The day I learned not to measure my own beauty and self-worth by others' reactions is the day I began seeing myself in my best angles and light. So post away, lovers of thy selfies, and make no apologies. Love who you are and everyone who cares for you will continue being additions to the love you already have for yourself. Here's a secret: You can't be loved too much. So soak it in, and selfie it up.