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The Evolution of Selfies in Visual Culture: Challenging Conventions

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Introduction

The selfie is the most recognizable way of self-expression in the digital era, from

a casual self-portrait transforming into a reality reshaping tool of human identity and

cultural norms. At first dune bumps were blamed for being self-centered and shallow,

but later the selfie turned into a complicated cinema of visual culture, art history, and

even civil society against weren't born activists as it is today (Nicholls). Nowadays, it

is mostly applied for an investigation of all kinds of subjects like identity, gender, and

power, the relationship between individual and state narratives. This essay presents

selfie’s evolution over time and its influence on art by the way of visual conventions

disruption and the alternative artistic forms establishment.

The Origins and Rise of the Selfie

First, selfies became popular because of smartphones, ATC, and social media,

which allowed people to take and share their own pictures with no interference. At the

beginning, taking a selfie was a very basic thing, an amount of thought was not given

to the lighting, composition, or context (Nicholls). Nevertheless, this medium's

vibrant and ubiquitous have turned selfies into a popular way to communicate and

engage with others ceaselessly. Promotions like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok

encouraged this change and enabled selfies to be a part of the global community.

Celebrating personal milestones, daily documentation, or self-validation are

some of the purposes of selfies. Besides just oridinary visual record, selfies allow

individuals to tell a compelling personal story by meticulously selecting how they

want to project themselves to the world (Nicholls). However, the selfie is not confined

to individual expression; it also taps into broader cultural and artistic movements.
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Image 1: Early, traditional selfie (Dxomark)

The "Art Historical Selfie" and Cultural Connections

A very special form of selfie is the “art historical selfie” where people imitate or

participate in classical art works with self-portraits. By deploying i.e., duplicating art

pieces such as paintings, sculptures, statues, or drawing pictures of your photograph,

one can create a bridge of understanding between contemporary culture and art

history (Nicholls). This trend has established among museums where visitors take

selfies next to or imitate the famous pieces of art.

The art historical selfie does double duty. The first, it brings art in the playful,

and thus, approachable way of modern viewers. At the same time, it takes you on a

ride through the cultural and historical narrative of the artwork. This approach of

merging old and new not only makes classical works relevant for today, but also it
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becomes a democratizing factor of art because anyone with a smartphone can take

part in it.

Think about the #MuseumSelfie movement in which people upload their

museum experiences to arts institutions' social media accounts and that serves as a

strong argument for this phenomenon. These selfies frequently include a side-by-side

view of the person with a piece of art, showing the difference between the past and

present and forming a connection between them (Dürer). The selfie thus becomes

more than just an act of personal representation; it is a kind of cultural exchange.

Image 2: Art historical selfie (Dürer)

The Selfie as a Form of Gender Subversion

Another selfless way that selfies disrupt visual conventions is through their role

in gender subversion. In a lot of ways, the selfies give a chance to people to challenge

and play with the gender norms. Rather than giving up, selfies let individuals dictate

how they are perceived. A person can be portrayed in a way that doesn’t conform to
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traditional expectations or takes on a meaning that is different from the commonly

understood one.

Apart from this, the phrase “gender subversion selfie” has become a very

influential weapon in LGBTQ+ communities where one can use selfies to show all the

varieties of gender identity that exist and to argue against the rigidity of gender norms

(Rheims). This is especially the case on platforms like Instagram where influencers

and activists share their lives through selfies and teach and motivate the others

regarding non-binary or gender non-conforming identities.

Through the selfie which has subverted the conventional gender roles, we have a

previously unknown way of imagining the self and the other (Rheims). It exposes the

authority of self-representation in the digital age, where people can invent their own

identities according to their own terms, not to mention the standards imposed by

society.

Image 3: Gender subversion selfie (Rheims)

The Political and Social Role of the Selfie

In the last few years, it has also become common for selfies to serve a more

blatantly political purpose. They are more and more being utilized in social

movements to raise awareness, transmit messages, and to oppose the power structures.

The "protest selfie," for example, has been a dynamic driving force behind

movements such as Black Lives Matter and climate change activism (Llyod). Such

selfies usually contain people carrying signs or taking part in protests, which can be

interpreted as a visual document of their involvement and their message.

What makes the protest selfie so impactful is its immediacy. Through the power

of social media, these images can be shared instantly, reaching millions of people

worldwide and providing a platform for marginalized voices. Moreover, the selfie in

this context allows individuals to claim visibility and agency, showing that they are an

active part of a broader social movement (Llyod).

The protest selfie is a powerful tool to down to earth rather abstract problems.

Everybody else might see it as a big event, but the protest selfie tells us about

individual stories and experiences, which in turn creates empathy and connection

between people (Llyod). Not only selfies make one cause identifiable but, they also

influence the opinion of the society and change the social injustice.
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Image 4: Protest selfies (Llyod)

Conclusion: The Future of the Selfie in Visual Culture

The change of the selfie from a simple picture to a powerful cultural tool is a

testimony to the fact that digital media influences our understanding of identity, art,

and social norms. Through the whimsical reenactment of art history, the subversion of

gender roles, and the engagement in political activism, the selfie still continuously

expands the limits of visual culture. The selfie is basically a shallow act, but now it

has come to be accepted as a bona fide form of artistic and social expression.

As new technologies keep on emerging, the selfie will also metamorphose. With

the advent of virtual reality and augmented reality, the upcoming stage of selfies may

include even more intricate self-representations that mix the digital and physical

worlds. In spite of its different possible manifestations, the selfie will always be a key
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instrument for the study and comprehension of the self in a world that is constantly

changing.
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References:

Dürer, Albrecht. "Selbstbildnis mit Pelzrock." Photograph. 2024, https://images-

provider.frontiersin.org/api/ipx/w=290&f=webp/https://www.frontiersin.org/

files/Articles/246418/fpsyg-08-00245-HTML/image_m/fpsyg-08-00245-

g001.jpg.

Dxomark. In a traditional selfie, the subject’s face is the main element in the picture.

Photograph. 2024,

cdn.dxomark.com/wp-content/uploads/medias/post-22171/IMG_E9969.jpg.

Accessed 2024.

Llyod, Colin. "Black Lives Matter." Photograph. 2021, images.unsplash.com/photo-

1618706757451-25bd95a5cf1d?

q=80&w=1372&auto=format&fit=crop&ixlib=rb-

4.0.3&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8fA

%3D%3D.

Nicholls, Jon. "The Selfie." PhotoPedagogy, 2024, www.photopedagogy.com/the-

selfie.html.

Rheims, Bettina. Visibility promotes empathy. Photograph. 2014. www.sleek-

mag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/950x350-white-solid-color-

background-7.jpg.