First, love thyself! Isn’t that the dictum that governs selfies? Now that we’ve all got these high definition cameras in our pockets, we can’t help but snap pictures of ourselves, sharing them with all of our friends on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or whatever else.
There’s nothing wrong with selfies. But, there is a right way to take a selfie and a wrong way to take a selfie. It’s really as simple as that. What you’re going to see here are 15 selfies that went horribly wrong. Hopefully after viewing these selfie mistakes, you’ll be better equipped to ensure that your selfies don’t lead to any unwanted embarrassment.
1. You Look Like Crap
It’s possible that you may not notice what’s gone horribly wrong with this selfie until you look at it for a minute… Did you notice it yet? Yeah… This is, we suppose, the danger of taking selfies in the bathroom. A lot of weird stuff goes on in bathrooms, which you just might happen to catch in the frame. So, let this be a lesson to you, kids: Always flush before you take your selfies!
2. Selfie Drive-By
When you’re taking selfies you’ve got to have attitude. This girl’s definitely got attitude! Just check out the deuces she’s throwing up and her duck lips, which are on full display. Also, when you’re taking selfies, you’ve got to make sure you’re closely monitoring what’s going on behind you. In the case of this selfie, it would appear that some nice young fella’ driving by decided to throw up some hand signals of his own.
3. Mirrors Reflect Absolutely
The main culprit behind selfies that go horribly wrong are mirrors. People seem to not pay much attention to what they’re reflecting, especially when the mirror in question is reflecting what another mirror is reflecting. Unfortunately for the participants in this selfie, they happened to catch their friend sitting upon the porcelain throne. Remember, kids: Be very careful when there are multiple mirrors in play!
4. Clear the Area!
Unless you’re not taking your selfies from a really close angle, you’re necessarily going to include some of your surroundings in the picture. That’s why it’s so important to make sure that you clear the area of anything that might be considered embarrassing. Did you not notice what’s going on in this selfie yet? Well, then take a look at the countertop. Notice anything next to the watch? Oops!
5. Context is Important
Of course, you’re not going to be taking all of your selfies in the bathroom. Sometimes, you might be driving around feeling you on fleek as you’re attempting to keep it so trill. When this happens, it’s important that you pay attention to your surroundings. When you’re trying to look at your dapper best, you probably don’t want to catch a picture of a homeless person in the background. That’s not a good look!
6. Watch Out For Mom
It’s like Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff said way back in the day – before Will Smith was the “movie star” you know him as today: “Parents just don’t understand.” This is an important concept to remember when you’re snapping your selfies. You might be trying to send a sexy Miley Cyrus style selfie to that the guy you have a totally major crush on only to have mom appear in the doorway with her disapproving stare. Now what’ve you got?
7. Watch Out For Kids, Too
Mom and dad aren’t the only people you have to worry about when you’re snapping your sexy selfies in the bathroom. You’ve got to watch out for kids around the house, too. We’re sure that whoever was supposed to have received this suggestive selfie would’ve really enjoyed it. But, the presence of that small child in the background really kind of ruins everything, doesn’t it?
8. Seriously, Watch Out For Kids!
Sometimes when you’re trying to capture that perfect selfie, you may decide to outsource the selfie taking to someone else. You may, for example, ask a stranger passing you on the street to snap a picture of your and your special someone. When you’re at home though, your options can be limited. In this case, you might ask your child to take the selfie for you. That’s what you’re looking at up above.
9. Who Watches the Watchmen?
You’re distracted when you’re trying to take a selfie. You’re watching the screen intently, trying to make sure that you catch yourself at the perfect, most flattering angle. Because of this, you may not always be paying attention to your surroundings. When this happens, you might get caught taking your selfie by someone who happens to be walking by. The person that you see up above learned this lesson the hard way.
10. Framing is Important
Just ask any big-shot Hollywood director, and they’ll tell you. When you’re trying to line up the perfect shot, you have to carefully consider what’s going to be in the frame and what’s going to be outside of the frame. Here, we see a woman who’s doing almost everything right. She’s got a good pose, she looks cute, and she’s got the mirror to take the selfie in. The problem is that she didn’t account for the bottom of the frame!
11. There’s a Time and a Place
Decorum, people! We know that you’re ready to pull at your phone at a moment’s notice to snap that awesome photo of yourself, but there’s a time and a place. Some people truly don’t get this, so much so that there’s an entire website devoted to people who take selfies at funerals. What you see up above is only one example out of hundreds of these kinds of selfies. Come on, people!
12. It Might Take a Minute…
You might want to let this one simmer for a moment, as it might take a minute or two to figure out what’s wrong with the picture above. It’s just a guy taking a selfie while stirring a big delicious pot of chili right? That’s certainly the case. But, look closer. What kind of kitchen has a giant mirror in it? And… That doesn’t look like the kind of sink you’d find in a kitchen! That’s right, this man moved his stove into the bathroom.
13. Watch Those Reflective Aviators
If there’s one time that people are tempted to take selfies, it’s when they find themselves stuck in traffic. What else are you going to do, anyway? Listen to the radio? That’s so last century. Here’s the thing… If you’re wearing reflective aviators, you may want to remember that they’re, well, reflective. We can see up above that despite her complaint, this woman is clearly not stuck in traffic at all. Pull her over!
14. The Medium is the Message
We’ve explored many of the most important selfie no-no’s, but here’s one we shouldn’t neglect. If you’re going to take selfies with your laptop, you should probably make sure that it’s planted firmly on your desk. You may not be able to get the high angle that you’re looking for, but there’s something very wrong about waving a $1,500 piece of a equipment in the air with one hand trying to capture that perfect look.
15. Don’t Look Like An Bunghole
You know, scratch everything that we said before. Seriously. Who cares? They’re your selfies anyway, aren’t they? Who are we to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do? There’s just one important message that we’d like to get across, something that we think all selfie-takers should know. It’s kind of like the golden rule of taking selfies: Try not to look like an asshole. Otherwise, you’ll end up looking like this person up above!
(via ViralVice)
