Maybe we should tell the young girls and women in our lives to stop and think before posting a vain photo

The teenage selfie: harmless or harmful?

Tamara Rajakariar

The teenage selfie has become so normal – that self-taken photo of a teenage girl as she pouts her way onto digital film. Yes, it’s ridiculously familiar, and unfortunately extends beyond the adolescent age group too. But does that mean that it’s okay?

Last week I read an article titled “Dark undercurrents of teenage girls’ selfies”, which claims that these photos have turned boy-girl relations into a “sexual rat race”. It was definitely alarming, and maybe most of all because it was written by a Year 11 schoolgirl by the name of Olympia Nelson.

For someone so young, she certainly has a good grasp of what's going on. She says that while narcissistic qualities are one thing, the selfie has taken vainglory to a whole new level – a big part of which is, unfortunately, about who’s the sexiest. The aim has gone from sharing part of your life and communicating joy, to yet another popularity contest. Who can get the most “likes”, admiration (often in the form of sexual interest) and evidence of popularity?

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