#Selfie – Word of the Year
Now that the year is coming to an end, we can look back on the past 12-months and safely say that 2013 was quite an eventful year. Thanks to Netflix, we have a new way of binge watching an entire season of newly produced television series (House of Cards, Orange is the New Black). We were happy to see Boston win the World Series. And fortunately, we all survived the government shutdown. In addition to these moments of 2013, The Oxford English Dictionary announced “Selfie” as the international English Word of the Year.
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Selfie
noun (plural: selfies)
A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website"
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In honor of the Year of the Selfie, we decided to take a step back and acknowledge those who paved the way for the modern day selfie. Back when capturing an image of yourself required more than a mirror and a 5 mega pixel camera, but with paint, canvas, talent, and time . . . lots of time. Here’s a roundup of a few “selfies” from some of our favorite artists.
Since the word first appeared back in 2002, selfie has gradually mobilized through all segments of society. Being snapped by heads of state, the Pope, and nearly everyone with a cell phone and Instagram account. Unlike most years when the Word of the Year follows an up-and-coming trend or fad, “selfie” adequately captures the times that we live in. We’re all guilty of this – burying our heads in our cell phones, updating our Instagram feeds with our latest travel pics, and tweeting pictures of our dinners.
It’s not that we are vain or more narcissistic than previous generations; we just have more of a means to share. Years from now, we’ll look back at our “selfies” and the hundreds of photographs we snapped and shared with our smart phones and remember the good times we had while taking them. Whether with paint or a cell phone, no matter how you choose to take your selfie, just one thing -- please no Zoolander-esque duck faces.