Today is a day that will live in history. A day that your grandchildren will ask about. “Nana,” they will say perched atop your knee staring at you with their Google contact lens eyes that are simultaneously checking the weather in Seoul, “where were you the day the donut selfie was introduced?”
Mmm donut selfie.
Contrary to what the name suggests, the donut selfie does not involve breakfast pastries making duck faces. It’s a new idea created by Youtube sensation, Karen Cheng. For this panoramic video selfie Karen rotates her phone in a half circle around her head. She then links several of these videos together to make it look like she has a camera on a crane that is just swirling around her as the world goes by. People can submit their version of this new selfie on the official website or via hashtags on social media. Other than the worry that people would windmill smack into passersby while taking their picture, I think the end result is kind of cool.
But I can already hear what you’re thinking. “ANOTHER selfie” you groan. “Why don’t you just show me a picture of your baby riding your cat eating a fancy dessert because those are all other things we’re sick of too.” But here’s the thing. Selfies are nothing new. Artists across the ages (Rembrandt, Van Gogh,Vonnegut, Stevie Nicks and others) have used different mediums to make pictures of themselves. They wanted to capture a moment in time, be it a late night during the Rumours tour or an earless face. And no one is calling these guys out — some of us even pay big bucks to see these selfies.
We live in a world full of million dollar industries that thrive on the idea that none of us look good enough. Ads with tiny models tell us we’re not thin enough, gym commercials tell us we’re not buff enough, and the cosmetic game is telling us our teeth aren’t white enough and our skin is splotchy and our eyebrows need to be tamed like wild beasts. A selfie is a way to stand up (or crouch in a way that makes your boobs look nice) and say “I look good enough today.” Even a silly selfie is saying that the subject doesn’t mind being vulnerable and is ok that you see them in a less than perfect way.
In short, love your donut selfie as your self.
For more from Karen Cheng check her out at our Sum Creative Conference November 6-7
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