In a somewhat terrifying new report out of the UK, young women reportedly spend about five hours every week on selfies.
Crikey.
As the Mirror reports, “Applying make-up, getting the right lighting and perfecting the angle, the time spent on each photo-taking session adds up to 48 minutes a day — that’s a baffling five hours and 36 minutes every week.”
The report, commissioned by a beauty retail website feelunique.com, surveyed 2,000 women and found that the worst offenders were between the ages of 16 and 25, with an “average snap-rate” of three selfies per day. The average woman in this age range is also storing at least 150 selfies on her devices at any given time.
It might seem amusing and harmless, but it really isn’t. This amount of sharing and scrutiny is leading to not only increased narcissism, as other studies have found, but also negatively affects young women’s self worth: “The research showed a significant trend among the younger generation to suffer from ‘selfie-esteem,’ ” states the Mirror story. “Linking their own body confidence with the amount of ‘likes’ they receive on a selfie via social media.”
Twenty-two percent admitted in the survey that the main reason they take selfies is to get boosts in likes to bolster their self-esteem.
Ladies — and selfie-obsessed gents, too — all that time you spend primping, prepping and posing? You could be learning, having fun, making something — all positive things that lead to better self esteem. Life is short. Don’t let the Duck Faces win.
