And the Record For Most Selfies Goes To...

You might think that you take a lot of selfies, but no matter how fond you are of the much-maligned phenomenon, there's at least one person who (probably) takes more than you. NFL player Patrick Peterson just set the selfie world record for the most selfies ever taken within a single hour. The total? 1,449.

Now, given the stereotype that selfies are the territory of hopelessly juvenile, self-obsessed teenage girls (seriously, why do people hate so much on teenage girls?), it might come as a bit of a surprise that instead the record holder is a tall, well-muscled man who plays professional football. But Peterson, a defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals, is indeed the record holder — though he did get some help from the students at Deer Valley High School in Arizona who posed with him.

According to Guinness Book of World Record rules, Peterson's face, arm, and neck had to be in each shot, which each had to be taken using a smartphone or tablet. Peterson took each picture himself while the students posed one by one behind him. And in the end they had 1,449 selfies. Which works out to one picture every 2.48 seconds. Which is just wild.

Also wild is the fact that the Guinness Book of World Records has categories for selfies. Though I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised; they do keep track of stuff like the longest ears on a dog and the furthest someone can pop their eyeballs out of their sockets. Shudder. Who even came up with that one?

Still, now that the record for most selfies taken in a single hour is now held by a burly 24-year-old man, maybe we can stop hating on teenage girls for their love of selfies? Because I've been hearing that a lot lately and I'm a little sick of it. For one thing, deciding that you like the way you look enough to want a picture of yourself ought to be a positive thing — and in a world that tries its best to make women hate their appearance, is also a feminist thing.

But for another thing, all kinds of people like selfies. Teens, adults, children, even animals. High schoolers, world leaders, actors, and even football players. Selfies are for everybody.

World records, though are for people who apparently can hold their arm up without a break for a solid hour. Seriously, one selfie every 2.48 seconds doesn't give you a lot to time to rest. I'm impressed.