On the heels of ABC's Pilot episode of Selfie, starring Karen Gillan and John Cho, being released on ABC's website it is time we take a few minutes out of our day to talk about something. Ourselves.
Selfie is a modern take on the story of My Fair Lady. The story follows around a young girl named Eliza Dooley who is completely social media obsessed. When the girl with a huge online presence and thousands of followers hits rock bottom she realizes that she has very poor social skills and no real friends. Desperate to change her ways and reform herself she enlist the help of uptight co worker. Naturally we assume that shenanigans will occur and romance will prevail. But the show in itself has a lot of potential. It is current, relevant and good for a laugh.
I think audiences will absolutely love the show if it doesn't play into the idea that social media is ruining this generation. Of course we could all step away from our phones every once in awhile and just live life but as with every generation we simply need moderation. The technology that serves us has a number of positive traits: faster information, easy communication, quick planning, making friends easier, making friends across the world. But one of the most important things I can think of is the SELFIE.
Now I know what you are thinking --- Vain, attention seeking, self absorbed.
For some reason these negative connotations are always associated with the selfie. But free yourself of this notion.
sel·fie
ˈselfē/
nouninformal
- a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website."occasional selfies are acceptable, but posting a new picture of yourself everyday isn't necessary"
People want to paint this idea that being in complete control of the way you present yourself to the world is wrong. Even the definition dictates how you should be operating. Squash it.
If you know me and I were to tell you that I was never a very confident person chances are it would shock you. A lot of people would say that becoming more confident in yourself is all part of growing up. But part of me has the selfie to thank for that. It has allowed me to present myself to the world in a way that I am comfortable with. I can take 100 selfles and only like 1 of them. I can chose the lighting I like best or the filter that suits my needs. None of these are lies on what I look like visually. I am still the person who took the photo after all only I was in complete control of my settings. It is super empowering to be that in control of yourself and how others view you. Of course anything that allows us to feel better about ourselves is quickly torn down. 
Recently I had new headshots taken for an agency that I signed up with. A headshot is supposed to be the greatest representation of who you are in order to sell the "client" on you and book more gigs. You wear your best colours and showcase your natural beauty. The photographer and I took a series of different photos and when our session concluded he informed me that he would send the photos to me so I could chose the one I liked best and we would use that as my headshot. I was picky when they finally arrived in my mailbox and I wasn't very fond of any of them. Finally I chose one and a week later a different photo appeared in my mailbox. This is an example of having no control over an image of yourself. This is an example of having a photo out their of myself that I am not particularly fond of. I have never taken a selfie that I later regretted. It is always my decision to post, show and share a photo of myself.
More than anything the Selfie has allowed young women to grow in confidence, know they are
beautiful and even spawned careers, hobbies and creativity. It has allowed young women to discover their sexuality and that they are sexual. It has also helped girls come together to appreciate other girls.
I know…I know… There are still 100 things wrong with the selfie : cyberbullying, shaming, the spread of images without people's consent. But very few things are without fault but I think the selfie gets a bad name. So share your favourite Selfies with us @fakegeekg #flawlessselfie
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