There are only two kinds of people in this world: those who take selfies, and those who lie about taking selfies. Let’s be frank, everyone’s done it at least once, from my youngest cousins to my 60-year-old high school teacher. The practice of preserving yourself in an image has been around for forever, and I’m not just talking about the middle school pictures buried in a MySpace graveyard. Ever heard of a self-portrait? They’ve been around since the Early Renaissance and beyond. Even Vincent Van Gogh painted himself like, 30 times. Seriously.

So, if it’s nothing new, then what’s with all the hate on selfies? If anything, we should be more accepting of the art of self-portraiture today than ever before. Front cameras were invented for a reason, and there are only so many pictures of your dinner that you can post on Instagram before it’s time to switch up your content. What’s so bad about posting a picture of yourself? In the last few years, selfies have become attached to stereotypes, and the stigma now accompanying them have raised some interesting, albeit worrying, thoughts on the topic. One of the biggest trends I’ve noticed surrounding selfies is the idea that girls and women who take them are "conceited" or "fishing for compliments."

Now, hold up.

Maybe I’m a little biased on the subject, as my camera roll is full of good hair days and some even better makeup days, but it seems more than a little messed up to me that as women, we’re expected to put endless hours and hundreds of dollars into our appearance to meet beauty standards without being free to acknowledge that we actually look good. Hello, double standard. Whether I took one minute or two hours on my look, the whole point of putting any amount of effort into my outward appearance is for me to look and feel good. Why shouldn't I capture a moment where I feel my very best? The Internet contains vast space, just waiting to be filled. I can either contribute something that makes me feel good, or I can throw in a cat meme. What I don't understand is where along the lines we learned to equate the former option to conceitedness. And when did we learn to let it hold us back? Most importantly, why are we still letting it hold us back?

I see this behavior daily. I see it in the bathrooms at school, when the girl at the sink next to me compliments my outfit and my automatic response is to deflect it by saying, “Oh, I just threw this on,” rather than simply thanking her. I see it out shopping, when other women in the dressing rooms second-guess the opinion of the sales associate, asking her, “Did you really mean that, or are you just getting paid to tell me I look good?” I see it all over the world, where women would rather deprecate themselves with thinly veiled humor rather than admitting that we look damn good, all out of fear of persecution. It's time for it to end. Am I right?

When a girl posts a selfie, she’s making a statement. She’s telling the world – or, if she’s anything like me, my handful of Instagram followers – that these ideas we learned about not being able to appreciate or accept your own beauty can go screw themselves. One picture might seem small, but learning to truly and publicly love all that you are may not happen all at once. Baby steps are still steps. It’s time to own up to our looks, whatever they may be. The only requirement is that you feel as good on the inside as you look on the outside.

Of course, as with everything, there is a balance to the art of "selfie-confidence." There is always the possibility of having too much of a good thing, but unless you’re choosing selfies over sleep and scrolling through filters instead of studying for finals, I think you’ll be okay. In the mean time, don’t stop. Don't let your thumb hesitate when you go to post your next picture. Hell, buy a selfie stick. Let everyone know just how good your eyebrows look, or exactly how you #WokeUpLikeThis even if you're sporting your sweatpants and a bun. There will always be naysayers who insist that this whole topic is frivolous, and to them, I ask that they look beyond their preconceived notions about selfies. When you eliminate all of the cultural context that’s built up around the act of front camera photography in the last few years, you’re left with a group of people who have the potential to grow in their self-confidence and ultimately contribute more to society because of it.

All it takes is some nice lighting and a Valencia filter. Not too shabby, if you ask me.

Photo credit: http://imgbuddy.com/girl-taking-selfie.asp