Can we talk about the topic of taking photos of ourselves and sharing them? It feels really vain and narcissistic, right? You may even see other people’s instagrams and roll your eyes at their self portraiture. Like, get a hobby homegirl, I don’t want to see your mug in my feed all of the time. Well, while I am a firm believer of keeping it occasional, here’s why I do it.
If your life is anything like mine, you are always the one behind the camera. My iPhone has over 4000 photos on it and I assure you less than 100 of them are of me. I take photo after photo of my kids and husband and things that I find pretty, but I just don’t have anyone around me taking my picture. My husband just isn’t that way.
I only have a handful of photos of me when I was a kid and that makes me sad. We are not getting any younger and I don’t want to be 50 and look back and only have a memory of what I used to look like. I want to be a 90-year-old woman and say, “aw look how young and happy I was. Look at what I looked like without jowls and sandpaper cheeks.” Which I will never have I am only exaggerating, I use amazing skin cream! 
But I do want my kids to have a bunch of pictures of me so that when I’m gone so they can sob and say how full of life I was! Morbid? Maybe, but true except for the sobbing part. I don’t want them being all sad, but I do want them to look back fondly and to find lines in my face or a twinkle in my eye that looks JUST like their grandchild’s that they will only notice due to my 75 year old Instagram feed that is now available only via my thumbprint in the sky or something. And also? I want you, my friends that only read me here, to know me and connect with me just like my real life friends! I think it brings us closer.
Honestly, my favorite instagrams of all of you, are of your faces. I like to see you and not just your lunch. Not just your kiddos, and not just your cats. (TRUST, I love all of those things. I do) But I want it all. I want a face to go with the voice in my head that pops in when I’m reading. (my reading voice of your blog is SJP, cause she narrates all the things.) I’m nosey and I want to also see what is in your closet. It’s part of the whole package! Mix it up and throw your cute little faces in there. Don’t get me wrong, every time I hit publish on an instagram of myself I cringe a little, but in the long run I know that I’m right. I’ll be glad to have this digital image, paper trail of my life. Or of the little moments I capture. I know that sometimes I will want to look back and remember that I was there too.
Follow me on instagram 
It’s my coffee, kids, husband, lunch, and face.
xo
I totally agree! It’s an easy way to document me… Since I’m usually behind the camera! Great post! <3
Amen sister!!
Shaina Longstreet recently posted..Thursday! Yay!
I love this post. Ahh I hate taking selfies. Im not good at it. Yours are adorable though.
For the love (see what I did there), I completely agree. My plethora of landscapes and life shots are just not going to mean much in the long haul. I appreciate this very much. xoxox
Hannah Margaret recently posted..The Englishman & America
I admit my favorite photos to see on my instagram feed are selfies too! I always feel weird posting them, but I do think it helps us get to know each other and have proof we indeed get dressed and look pretty once in awhile
P.s. Your photos are always gorgeous!
Lisa recently posted..The Influence Conference: Meet & Greet
All time favorite post… I have a few self pics scrabbled into my insta, I feel silly taking them and my sisters make fun of me! I totally agree with you… I mean one day we will be thankful for mirror pics, as long as the bathroom was clean right?!! Love you!!
Now THAT is a legit reason to take selfies. I’ll try to remember that as I’m cringing before publishing… I just don’t want people to be like, “ugh, AGAIN with the cheesy smile??” and then I’m like, let’s try something new! *closed mouth smirky smile thing*, but then I’m afraid people will be like, “ugh, trying too hard.” TOO MUCH THOUGHT REQUIRED, so here’s a picture of my kids or some felt flower crap I just made.
I feel like I could’ve written this! (by the way, all of your photos are gorgeous and I could never get tired of seeing your pretty face! moar plz)
Morgan | Mrs. Priss recently posted..Rage Crafting: Using up that washi tape stash
LOVE it. You are so right…we need to document ourselves. I had the camera on our last trip and I am in hardly any of the pics. I hate posting my selfies, but YES love seeing everyone elses…including yours:) I better brave up and take (&post) more pics of myself! PS…you are beautiful.
I TOTALLY agree!
They’re good memories to have!
Miss Angie recently posted..Confessing on Hair, Frankenweenie, & Cheese Momos!
I have the same situation – if I didn’t take any photos of myself, there wouldn’t *be* any photos of me, because I’m generally the one behind the camera when out and about with other people.
Amanda recently posted..Let’s Not Sugarcoat It
Good point. I guess this is sorta silly when I think about it, but I know I shy away from doing selfies because I have a compulsive need to have every photograph that I’m in look like someone else had the camera in their hand. I can’t just flip the camera around and take a photo of myself without taking fifty bajillion photos to get that perfect angle where it looks like maybe… just maybe… the camera wasn’t in my own hand… and to be honest, usually I get bored after taking two photographs and just say screw it and take a picture of the cat instead.
nikkiana recently posted..A Mindful Cleaning Experience
I totally agree! I definitely want my kids to remember my younger years when I was fun and spunky and not old and grumpy
Kenzie S recently posted..I have road rage.
I love this.
the SJP comment was hilarious. But I totall agree w you. Is it just me but does it seem less vain on instagram and blogs than on fb. If I want a pic of me I have to do it myself or ask someone to do it. No one ever voluntarily takes pic of me like I do of everyone else. So I have many selfies…and as fat as scrolling thru my insta newsfeed, the pics that catch my eye the most are always of the cute outfits and pretty faces of all you girls 
As far. Not fat. Thx autocorrect
julie marie recently posted..Thank You, John Hughes.
This is a great post and I love it and it’s true. LOL! I am ALWAYS behind the camera. I’ve said it to The Hubs before. Often, I’ll have to ask him point blank to take my photo. And what you said about having pics for your family after you’re gone… not morbid at all, because I’ve said “When I die, I wont get one of those awesome life slideshows at my service because I’m not in any photos. (enter pouty face there).”
And also, SJP only narrates as many things as Mike Rowe, LOL! But let’s face it, he wouldn’t be a great voice to use, since, you know… most of the blog we read are women writers.