Life
In Defense Of This Mom's Epic Selfie Sesh
I've long since come to terms with the fact that the art of selfie-taking is a craft I will never master. (And as a result, my Tinder profile will never truly reach its full potential.) It's not that I haven't tried — oh Lord, have I tried. But no matter what I do, I've always remained 100% terrible at it. Which is why I will forever stand in awe of anyone who can expertly pull one off. Still, let's be real. Selfies are a ridiculous sight to behold — as evidenced by one mom who was caught on video taking selfies at the playground earlier this week. Her epic photo session immediately went viral. I know; it's kinda funny. Until you hear this: It seems a fellow park-goer filmed her posing in front of the jungle gym and shared it to Reddit Tuesday, where she was swiftly mocked by hundreds of commenters.
"I instantly hate her," wrote soccadude123, while brainfilterresen chimed in with,"Vapid c*ntery." (How lovely.) And then there was this gem from someone under the handle jsmart1375: "Narcissism level maximum. I bet she has a Twitter account too because the life of a mom is so interesting she needs to send constant updates." While I totally get that the nature of a selfie is literally self-centered, I'm not even going to begin to dig into all the things that are wrong with the second part of that statement.
But have a look, to judge for yourself:
So here's the thing: I get that the video is funny, and that she looks a bit ridiculous out there, and that the Internet sure loves a good laugh, so of course this would go viral. But I'm not sure anything she did here warranted the kind of virtual bashing she received as a result. [So yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and defend this woman, whoever she may be. Because seriously, who are we to throw stones? And also, let's give credit where credit is due, shall we? Here's are four reasons Selfie Mom, whoever she may be, deserves our empathy, and even a few props:
1. Her Poses Were On-Point
Say what you will, but this woman knows how to work it. And she manages one-handed photo-taking like a champ — no selfie stick necessary. Honestly, my hat's off, 'cause if this was me, my phone would have landed in the grass about 20 times during that photo session.
2. She Knows How To Work An Angle
Angles + lighting, my friend. We all know they are what truly makes a selfie awesome (OK, besides your gorgeous face), but not all of us know how to harness the two. Let's give it up to her, because we can all stand to learn a thing or two from her moves.
3. This Is A 1-Minute, 27-Second Video — So Let's All Just Chill Out Already
Many Reddit commenters were quick to judge the woman for not watching her kids while she posed for the photo. But to those, I ask this: Were any of us there? Do we know if that they weren't being watched? Nope. And also, let's consider this: It was a less-than-two-minute slice of someone's life. Plenty of parents have looked down to read a book or turned their head away briefly to take a phone call in that length of time and it was completely okay.
4. We've ALL Been There Before
As we've covered, selfies can be cool; but taking them? Not so much. We all look like idiots. BIG ones! So let's just take a step back for a second and reflect, because at one point or another, that's been you out there on that playground (or on that bar or on that dance floor or in front of that Eiffel Tower). And you wouldn't want karma to come back and bite you in the butt, now would you?
In conclusion: Whatevs. I think we're all just jealous of this mom's selfie game deep down inside.
