But first…: Developing low selfie-esteem?

Study shows women spend five hours a week taking pictures of themselves

LONDON/ CANNES: Do you know how much time your partner may be spending on getting her perfect selfie? It may be close to 48 minutes a day or five hours and 36 minutes a week, including the time spent on make-up, getting the right lighting and perfecting the angle. According to a study commissioned by British website feelunique.com, 28 per cent of the 2,000 women surveyed, aged between 16 and 25, admitted to taking a photo of themselves at least once a week.

One in 10 young girls was found to store at least 150 selfies on her computer and smartphones, taken in places, ranging from their bathrooms to cars to office desks. Over half of the women agreed that taking an attractive selfie boosts their mood when they feel down about their looks. Nearly 22 per cent young women cited getting ‘likes’ to boost their ego as the main reason for taking selfies.

Salma Hayek and Amy Poehler among those who voiced support for the selfie ban at Cannes

The survey showed a significant trend among the younger generation, who is suffering from ‘selfie-esteem’. Newby Hands of feelunique.com said, “The act of taking a selfie has become a huge phenomenon. Scrolling through an Instagram feed full of selfies provides a ready-made mood board of new make-up tips, hair ideas and fitness inspiration.” The standard routine for a perfect selfie was to re-do make-up, fix the hairstyle and wear a flattering outfit before finding a suitable position with good lighting.

And about 27 per cent of younger women confessed they delete selfies within minutes if they don’t gain enough ‘likes’ on social media. After taking an average of six shots and deleting them, the “perfect selfie” is finally uploaded on at least two social media websites, the survey found. “Celebrities, such as Kim Kardashian and Nicole Scherzinger, have described the positive effects of selfies and many young people have followed suit,” Hands stated.

But while some celebrities may have propagated the selfie trend, some aren’t fans of the trend. Actor Salma Hayek, for instance, thinks a “no more selfies” rule is a great idea for the red carpet. Organisers of this year’s Cannes International Film Festival, which rounded off Monday, asked celebrities to refrain from taking photographs on their mobile phones while attending events, and Hayek is supportive of enforcing the selfie ban.

“There’s a time for everything. [Cannes is] a magical, special place, and it’s important to be present, and it’s important that it’s exclusive. No more selfies,” she said. Many of Hayek’s contemporaries also weighed in on the subject. Actor Amy Poehler is surprised by how vain pop culture has recently become. “It’s amazing how much people like their own face these days, and how much they like to show it,” she said. Colin Farrell doesn’t mind selfies and thinks they’re fine, but the actor prefers taking candid shots as opposed to posing for photographs. “It’s just capturing the effort to lean into the capturing,” he explained. 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th,  2015.

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