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The Power Of The Selfie

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Apopka High School Blue and White writer explains the "art form"

By: Matida Manjang

Selfie

I am the Mona Lisa

Staring at myself in my magic

And I laugh

Cause you get so frightened by my Perfection And you should be

This being can move mountains

This being can start wars

And Being is a war

And I know it

And no one is allowed to know? Well, too late

Now don’t touch the art

— Rowan Blanchard

In a world where you are told who to be, what to be, and what to look like sometimes it can be hard to know where you can be you, and where you can show it. This poem gives you the answer, and believe it or not, your weapon is right in the palm of your hand (literally).

The selfie.

Now, selfies can get a bad reputation for being just another way to show off and another vain thing that causes low self-esteem, but this is a common misconception. Selfies are more than just pictures; they are powerful art, and before you think I am insane for thinking what appears to be a simple picture has power, let me explain.

When anyone takes a selfie, they choose how they want to be perceived; they choose to be the author of their own story; because of this, the selfie becomes an art, and the photographer is the muse for this art. As art is often studied looking with the heart and not just with the eyes, so should selfies be… not studies of science because you cannot measure a person’s creativity with quantum physics. As Rowand Blanchard states “[A woman’s image] has always been painted by men, or for men, so when you see a girl take a selfie in public, and she’s literally in control of how she wants to look and how she wants to be portrayed — there’s so much power in that.”

Rowand is completely correct; it is time for us to be in control of who we are, and although she speaks in the regards of women, this goes for men, too. Be the Mona Lisa of your painting, and don’t let anyone tell you who to be because you are not only the artist of the painting but the paint, brushes, canvas, inspiration, and masterpiece.

Matida Manjang is a staff writer for the Apopka High School newspaper The Blue and White.

Apopka High School, Selfie, The Blue and White

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