Every girl has done it. After spending hours on your hair and makeup, we all have the urge to document our finished product. But the work does not end at getting your mascara to perfectly layer your lashes, or achieving effortless looking curls. 

Once all of your hard work is done, you search for the right lighting and angle that will compliment your features. After snapping multiple shots, you sift through and select the perfect one. Next comes the last touch, deciding on the filter that will make you look flawless. Once you’ve uploaded your masterpiece, the dreaded wait for the first “like” begins. But what does your signature selfie say about you...?

The Kissy Face Selfie (A.K.A. The Duck Face): The Kissy Face Selfie, also commonly known as the “Duck Face”, is the most well known selfie. Once selfies became popular, girls across the globe thought that the puckering and pouting of their mouths would give the impression of having defined cheekbones and luscious lips. Unfortunately, the male race has turned against this distinguished face, thus nicknaming it “The Duck Face” (probably because the pursing of your lips constructs the resemblance of a platypus). What this type of selfie says about you is that you are single and looking for any type of attention you can achieve. Those of you, who are guilty of the famous pout, please do not combine it with the peace sign and mirror flash, which will ultimately time-warp you back into the MySpace era.

The Gym Selfie: The Gym Selfie is the fastest growing population of selfies. Since being fit and healthy is now trendy, what better way to prove you're not basic then with your typical #fitlife pic? Of course, along with the mirror shot of you in your cutest gym gear and a few sweat bubbles across your forehead, comes the never-ending list of hash tags with every word possible combined with “fit." What this selfie says about you is that you've lost a few pounds and want to make sure everyone knows it. It is starting to look like you pay for your gym membership as a place to take your photo-shoots rather than to get a good workout in. (Yes, I am also looking at you, boys.) Sure, we are all happy for you and your lifestyle change, but please stop rubbing it in everyones face.     

The Car Selfie: The Car Selfie may be just as awkward as the Bathroom Selfie. There is no right place to take a picture of yourself necessarily, but behind the wheel of a moving vehicle is definitely not one of them. What this selfie says about you is, the only thing going through your head at that moment was “Wow, what great natural lighting!” clearly not “Wow, I should really keep my eyes on the road and my hands on the wheel!" However, what is going through our heads as we scroll past this picture is “Please put your seatbelt on." Do yourself, as well as the fellow drivers around you, a favor and resist the urge to snap a shot of your glowing face as you drive into the setting sun.

The Mirror Selfie: Ah! The Mirror Selfie has been amongst us since the days of the flip phone. Before inward facing cameras were invented, almost every teenage girls smile could barely be made out behind the enormous flash that covered the whole upper right corner of her selfie. Advice to all who still utilize the Mirror Selfie: 1) If taken in the bathroom, flush the toilet. 2) If taken in your bedroom, clean your room. 3) Invest in a iPhone that will make your selfie taking process much easier. What this selfie says about you is that you think you have an amazing outfit on, and the world must see what a fashionista you are.

What all of your selfies say about you is that you crave approval from your social media followers. We all have that guilty pleasure of taking an awesome picture of ourselves, but the bottom line is, the selfie era needs to end. Many of us out there abuse our selfie taking rights and it is starting to corrupt our self-esteem. How many likes you achieve on a selfie does not define your beauty inside or out. In fact, most of us would probably like you more if you put an end to your selfie ways.

Selfies are a product of the way society teaches us that our most important quality is our physical attractiveness. We do not need to post self-taken pictures and wait to get approval from our followers to ensure ourselves that we are beautiful. Put an end to the selfies and be comfortable enough in your skin that you don’t need to flaunt it through a photo.