Millennials get a lot of flack for our lifestyle – Buzzfeed's article "Here Are 28 Things Millennials Are Killing in Cold Blood" has gone viral, blaming Millennials for ruining things like the napkin industry, bar soap, and Home Depot. We're the entitled generation, that we're difficult to manage, and we lack all respect for traditions and manners. That we are self-obsessed.

My parents have made fun of me many times for taking a quick selfie on Snapchat. It's almost comedic how many times I've been told that taking selfies makes me vain, egocentric, and narcissistic – that I am actually going to hell because I once took a picture of my new haircut to send to a friend.

This photo went viral after the presidential debate this past week. Twitter went crazy, expressing how it looks like a poster for a dystopian movie, calling them the "look at me" generation, claiming that the selfie will be the downfall of society.

But this summer I challenged myself to take a selfie everyday, and through that, I fell in love with myself. I learned to appreciate the little bump in my nose. Just like you're not used to hearing your voice on a recording, you look different in your mind than in a photo. At first it was incredibly jarring, but when I started getting used to what I looked like, it was comforting. I have chronicled days where my hair wouldn't cooperate and days I was too lazy to my make up on, as well as my best friend's birthday and family parties. I don't look stunning in all of them, but I look like me!

Snapchat, created in 2011, revolutionized the way we communicate. Users can talk to each other not only through text or voice, but with facial expressions. It's so easy to feel alone (especially when you go away for college when you've had the same friends since elementary school), but a quick look at a caring face suddenly makes everything a little better.

Taking selfies isn't just fun, but it's empowering. Selfies teach the ability to truly appreciate what you look like. It's not vanity that drives the contemporary teenager to take selfies, but it's recognition that "hey, I'm not as ugly as I think I am." Young women are using selfies to show off a strong, independent, and healthy impression of themselves.

Selfies save memories – parties, outings, dates – capturing smiling faces (or duck faces). They're celebrations of lives and of ourselves. We pull out our phones and hold it up above our heads, call our friends over and smile our heads off. I love seeing selfies of my friends on social media because I am reassured that they are happy.

So Take More Selfies! Bad selfies. Good selfies. Funny selfies. Stupid selfies. Just take more selfies. You'll feel better about yourself.