Writer and selfie connoisseur Regina Belmonte on her love-love relationship with self-portraits.
Dear Selfies,
You and I, we’ve been doing this since before the word ‘self-portrait’ got shortened to ‘selfie,’ when said self portraits were still taken with actual cameras sometimes professional SLRs, even and not with phones and their front-facing lenses. Needless to say, we go a long, long way back.
The internet at large tells me I should be ashamed of my love for you. That you’re a shining beacon of my vanity and self-absorption. That you symbolize my narcissism, especially since I can’t pass you off as serious photography or art anymore. Oh, no, gone are the days when I would put actual consideration into the composition of a self-portrait, when the pictures I took of myself were thought-out and thematic.
I remember one instance in which I wore a white button-down shirt, ringed my eyes in messy black liner, put on red lipstick, set the timer, tripod, and focus, and then submerged myself in my bathtub for the shot, to symbolize drowning. I remember setting up a black-and-white shot of myself gazing into my mom’s ring-lit vanity mirror that picture actually got published in a book of poetry last year. By an international publisher. I could pass those off as “art” of sorts, as self-expression. Those pictures turned out great. Those days are gone.
My selfies circa now are 95% spur of the moment #GGSS (“Wow, my makeup looks good today, I should take a picture!”) and 5% totally orchestrated to hopefully inspire #thirst in certain boys who I know are online at the moment because I’m secretly kind of a creep. (Or if not inspire thirst, at the very least, remind them of two things: One, that I still exist; and two, that I’m still pretty.)
Denne historien er fra July 2016-utgaven av Candy Philippines.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 2016-utgaven av Candy Philippines.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
What It's Really Like To Have A Guy Best Friend
Not all girls fall in love with their best bud.
Did You Get Any Sleep Last Night?
The ultimate guide to hiding proof that you didn’t get any sleep last night.
What To Learn From Your Frenemies!
Navigating your way around the Girl world is complicated (think: “I love your skirt! Where’d you get it?” a la regina George), especially for girls who aren’t quite friends, but not quite enemies. whether it’s stealing clothes, swapping boys, or burying the hatchet, there’s something to learn from even the most erratic of these fictional friendships.
Girl Power
Because we all deserve better.
An Open Letter To All The Selfies
Writer and selfie connoisseur Regina Belmonte on her love-love relationship with self-portraits.
Gabbi
She has yet to celebrate her third anniversary in showbiz, but Gabbi Garcia is already a star on the rise.
Tales From The Province
The world through the eyes of a country girl living in the big city.
When Words Take Flight
There is a certain kind of magic to spoken word poetry and how it transcends genre, interest, and form.
Nadine loves Yassi
At their first cover shoot together, Yassi playfully teases that she and Nadine are the true #TeamReal. Nadine jokingly agrees—and us? We never had any doubt that these BFFs are the real deal.
Guys On Love Relationships And More
They say men are from Mars and women are from Venus. We say that when it comes to love, relationships, and heartbreak, guys and girls pretty much live on the same planet called Feels.