Selfies. I don’t think ‘selfie’ was even a word a few years ago, and now, not only has the phenomenon exploded, but ‘selfie’ was the Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year for 2013. To be clear, and for those who might not know the term, a selfie is is described by Wikipedia as a self-portrait photograph that is typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone and uploaded to a social media website, such as Instagram or Facebook. Selfies are usually casual and typically taken with the camera held at arm’s length or in a mirror. According to Samsung, 30% of photos taken by 18-24 year-olds are selfies, but celebrities, President Obama, Prince William and Princess Kate, and even the Pope have been known to take them or pose in them.

With social media as a way of life now, people feel the need to constantly update their friends on their whereabouts and activities and I guess selfies qualify as documentation. A 38 year old woman recently had plastic surgery so she would look better in selfies and on Skype. She must be happy with the results because she said “I fee like I look like myself, but Photoshopped.” How’s that for dysfunctional? In fact, the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reported that the prevalence of selfies has most definitely had an impact on the plastic surgery field. Doctors say that many of their patients request surgery to improve their looks in social media. That’s pretty extreme, but there are some less drastic ways to help you look better in a selfie if you don’t think that’s a good reason to go under the knife. First of all, make sure to never shoot from below. I will personally never take a selfie because the position of the camera on my phone makes me look like I have five chins and am about to fall asleep, but for those who are into it, where you shoot from is key! Lighting can also help- they say natural light is more flattering so try to be near a window if you are indoors. The point is to to be casual and in-the-moment, anyway, so these tips should help enough so you can just have fun snapping the moment without getting too uptight about it.

And of course, let’s not forget about selfie etiquette. When is it okay to take selfies? I’m not sure a memorial service for a great political figure is an appropriate time and place, but what do I know? I’m not a President or Prime Minister. Some universities are banning their graduates from taking them on stage when they go up to get their diplomas, saying it will be too disruptive, and I think I agree with that. There is also some discussion about why people take selfies- are they insecure, narcissistic, or both? And don’t forget about the dangers- emotional and physical. Selfies have been blamed in deaths and suicides and other bad things. Just last week a teenager died when she fell from a railway bridge and grabbed onto live cables while trying to take an ‘awesome’ selfie. So, like with almost anything, there is good and bad. Just remember that selfies should just be for fun. They should not offend anyone, should not make us feel bad about ourselves, and should certainly not kill us.