My Feminist Selfie

I'd like to start with saying that most of my selfies don't look like this. When I do choose to take a selfie, my mouth is usually closed and I cut off as much of my body as I possibly can. I know this is a subconscious thing, and it stems from years of being told that my body isn't what most people find attractive. I've come to terms with this and I've begun to love myself for who I am and what I look like, and after reading Ashley Farmer's article, I realized that I need to take control of my selfies! The idea of "seizing the gaze," and letting my selfies be something of my own creation, that I can control and dictate how I look in a way that is pleasing to my eye, is something I've just considered. Honestly, I took several selfies when completing this blog post, and at the end I chose this one simply because of how different it is from my others. It's not traditionally me, but it is a picture that I believe accurately represents me, and the person I strive to be. That smiling girl is the person I want society to see and remember me by, and the fact that I decided that that was how I wanted to look and be seen makes this my very first feminist selfie.