Selfies and Identity: Who do we think we are? 9C Thematic Investigation Spring 2015 Tue/Thurs 3:30-4:40PM
Selfies: The Difference between Boys and Girls
GIRLS
“The selfie is a tiny pulse of girl pride-a shout out to the self…..”
” If you write off the endless stream of posts as image-conscious narcissism, you’ll miss the chance to watch girls practice promoting themselves-
a skill that boys are otherwise given more permission to develop, and which serves them later on
when they negotiate for raises and promotions”
-Rachel Simmons, “Selfies are Good for Girls”, Slate, Nov. 20, 2013.
An example of positive self promotion Selfie of the first four women to pass Marine Infantry training
Most selfies do not celebrate women’s accomplishments.
The typical selfie is literally…..
A picture of a woman’s face not talking
Or they are pictures of a woman’s body
The Gaze: Popularized by the psychologist Lacan. Refers to the anxious state that comes with the awareness that one can be viewed.
The subject loses a degree of autonomy when realizing that He or she is a visible object.
Objectification:
The term refers to the treating another person as a thing.
Women are more likely to be effected by the gaze and objectification then men.
La Grande Odalesque Ingres 1814
Cover of Playboy August , 1960
The other side of the argument is that selfies are giving women, especially young women, a means of empowerment.
A push back against traditional beauty norms
“Selfies make possible a vast array of gazes that simply were not seen before.”
-Peggy Phelan, Stanford University
“Teens and young women use social media often and in more ways than men on almost every site, from Facebook to Instagram to Tumblr”
“Selfies take advantage of a platform that girls rule”
-Jessica Bennett,” Our Bodies , Our Sefies: The Feminist Photo Revolution,” Time, Aug 11, 2014
Selfies allow women to own their flaws and showcase faces not normally seen.
Selfies Are a Form of Social Currency Selfies Challenge the Notion That You Need a Reason to Be Seen Selfies Force Us to See Ourselves