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10 Reasons You'll Never Look at Selfies the Same Again

They say selfies are the mark of a self-absorbed generation. Eff that noise. These are the empowering selfies every woman needs to see
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Selfies Help Us Set a Positive Example
Selfies aren't just about putting your best duck face or contoured makeup on display. Here, actress Amandla Stenberg (of "Hunger Games" fame) shares a snapshot of her friends getting their study on. Her caption reads, "when u & the squad [are] reading surrealist feminist fiction." It's selfies like this that help girls build an identity and inspire others to share their own truth.

Photograph courtesy of Amandla Stenberg

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Selfies Allow Us Not to Take Ourselves Too Seriously
We're taught that zits, freckles and cellulite are the devil, but with a single selfie, magazine editor Tavi Gevinson shows that all you need is a little humor to take the edge off. Flaunting her epicurean wit, while rejecting unreasonable beauty standards, she captions: "Highly recommend the new Yayoi Kusama they just installed on the Upper West Side of my face."

Photograph courtesy of Tavi Gevinson

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Selfies Teach Us to Embrace Our Flaws
"We spend so much time trying to hide our flaws because the culture has set it up that you have to be ashamed if you're not perfect," says filmmaker Cynthia Wade. "I think girls are tired of it."

Chrissy Teigen radiates body-positive vibes with this selfie, which confirms our hopes and suspicions that models have imperfections, too. "Bruises from bumping kitchen drawer handles for a week. Stretchies say hi!" Teigen says, giving her stretch marks a pet name that we're totally going to start using. Her selfie sends a message of self-love that only an image this intimate could.

Photograph courtesy of Chrissy Teigen

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Selfies Let Us Express Our Beliefs
For a couple years there, Miley Cyrus was known more for her tongue than her activism, but with the help of social media, that reputation is changing. Cyrus posted this selfie after the US Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage to demonstrate her support and solidarity.

Photograph courtesy of Miley Cyrus

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Selfies Invite Us to Get Up Close and Personal
Every Monday on Instagram, Demi Lovato posts a makeup-free selfie with the hashtag #NoMakeupMonday and encourages other women to do the same. Unlike magazine covers, selfies give women the chance to reset society's beauty standards themselves.

Photograph courtesy of Demi Lovato

BY AMANDA MONTELL | JUL 31, 2015 | SHARES
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