Why I'll never apologize for taking too many selfies

Well, first things first: I kinda hate the word 'selfie.' I do not use it. Even after it was officially added to the Oxford dictionary in August. I think it sounds ridiculous.

But! that's not what's important here.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I love a good selfie, especially if I'm having a good hair day or my outfit looks great. I enjoy compliments just like anyone else (show me someone who says they don't enjoy compliments and I will show you a lying liar who lies), but I document these days for myself just as much as I do others. Sure, I have a decent social media following, but none of that is going to matter in ten years, or five, or maybe even one. What will matter is all the pictures (of myself and of others) I'll have to look back on. That's pretty cool. (We'll leave the conversation about how you can't do ANYTHING without it being documented for another day.)

Everyone loves to rip on girls who take selfies. They LOVE it. And since selfies really became A Thing this year (the selfie hashtag has grown over 200% since January of this year), there's a whole lot of ripping going on. People love to use selfies as evidence that millennials are selfish and narcissistic.

Sure, there are plenty of people who post pictures of themselves for the headpats and the obsessive compliments. But selfies are hardly new: kings, queens, and other obnoxiously rich people have been posing for self portraits for centuries (and those take HOURS to complete). And don't forget the original: Narcissus died looking at his own reflection. Compared to those examples, a few teenage girls with an Instagram account hardly seem like a big deal.

Along with criticizing millennials for being too self-absorbed, it's understood that millennials are good at multitasking. They're good at balancing a lot of things at the same time. So wouldn't it make sense that millennials are capable of caring about themselves and other people?

I know. It's a real leap.

The Millennial Impact Report for 2012 stated that 75% of millennials donated money to a cause they were passionate about, while 63% spent some time volunteering. That's a pretty huge number, right? Surely millennials aren't THAT narcissistic if they spend that much time doing things for other people.

And also: why do people enjoy knocking other people down who have the self confidence to post a picture of themselves? I'm going to say it: I think people hate selfies because they'd rather insult a woman than accept the fact that her confidence has nothing to do with the men around her.

Selfies are reflective. They're a chance to look at yourself the way other people see you. Each one is kind of like a mini-autobiography, giving people a glimpse into your life and what you're doing right then. That's pretty freakin' cool, and it's something to be celebrated, not trashed.