A brief disclaimer: When I started this article, I had not intended it to be about no-makeup selfies. The inspiration came to me after a really long day when I felt really gross and icky and decided to play around on Snapchat. I ended up taking a few selfies that I was really fond of, and that made me feel confident and better about the exhausting day I had had. So I embarked on this mission — a selfie a day for a week — and wanted to report back on how each one made me feel.
Halfway through, however, I realized that not a single one was a full glam-shot with makeup. There were some that I felt really good about, and some where my face is kinda greasy and sweaty, and it’s only by the magic of angles and lighting that I look passable. But each one was just my face and whatever lightning and background were on hand.
Day 1: Post-Workout Selfie
So a little backstory with this one: I totally forgot my headphones before my workout, but I decided to stick to it anyway and managed to finish. I had woken up feeling a little down and was even considering skipping the gym since I hadn’t gotten that much sleep the previous night, but I decided to go through with it. Even though I forgot both my headphones and the elastic band I use to keep my bangs out of my face, I persevered. This is a triumphant selfie!
Day 2: Snapchat-filter selfie
At the end of Day 2, I was kinda gross and grimy. My hair looked disgusting, my face was all greasy, and I just didn’t want to take a selfie at all. So, much like the day I got the inspiration to write this article, I took a Snapchat selfie. The magic of technology made my gross face look passable! It was a really quick boost of self-esteem but one that I appreciated a lot.
Day 3: Good-hair-day selfie
I woke up on Day 3 with fantastic hair — it was just falling perfectly, and my side bangs had this great swoop thing going on. I didn’t even need to do any makeup or filters. I just felt really great in general. I took this picture about an hour after I woke up, and all throughout the day, I felt great about my appearance.
Day 4: Glasses selfie
So, I wear glasses. A lot of people do. For the most part, on days when I know I am going to be out a lot, I switch to my contact lenses. I very rarely (if ever) post pictures of myself wearing my glasses on social media. It’s been ten years since I was teased in middle school for having glasses, but the stigma still sticks. Since Day 4 was a day where I sat at home and worked on school work and did chores, I didn’t put on my contacts. It was a glasses day, and I decided to confront my hesitation about posting glasses pics.
Day 5: Group selfie
Inspired by Day 4, I decided to finish up the week in my glasses. This one’s a group selfie at a trivia night. I actually made my friends retake this one a few times because I wasn’t pleased with the angle of my face. The first one definitely made it seem too wide. Ultimately, I used the one where all three of us looked happy — and that’s the more important thing when it comes to group pictures.
Day 6: #OOTD selfie
This was taken at 7:40 a.m. when I was about to run out of the house. I still followed the no-makeup creed I’d decided on the fourth day, but I decided to do a different kind of selfie. It was finally cold enough in the morning to wear a jacket, and I was pretty proud of this outfit. At the end of the day, I had been out of the house for almost thirteen hours, but I had started off pretty confident (albeit incredibly tired from a lack of sleep) because of this selfie, and that definitely helped fuel me for the first few hours.
Day 7: No makeup, no filter, no angles — just me
Instead of doing a glam blow-out shot on the last day like I had originally planned, I decided to go with the total opposite. This is me with no makeup, no filter, no angles (besides a little tilt just to show that I do have acne) and no flattering lighting. I don’t think I look good in this, but I don’t need to look good. I look like me. I don’t think I’m ugly; Day 6 and Day 3 definitely made my confidence soar. I don’t think I’m unworthy; Day 1 and Day 5 showed me that I can accomplish things and spend time with friends. I don’t feel like I need a self-esteem boost, unlike Day 2; This is me at the start of a day, not yet exhausted and crumbling. This is just…me. Me after my morning coffee and washing my face. Me about to launch into a day’s worth of projects and papers and deadlines. I don’t need to look pretty or extraordinary just to be myself.
I used to take more selfies when I used to wear more makeup and go out more often. I was pretty proud of them, but this was the first time I took this many selfies (and posted them on my social media) where I didn’t have any makeup on. There’s a power to self-expression when it comes to selfies: I can slap a filter on and make a bad day better, I can adjust the lighting and angles, or I can just post a picture of me, right after waking up and before starting my day. It’s a powerful tool, and we should use it for good: to spread good and to feel good.
Selfies courtesy of the author, Petrana Radulovic.