Sexy Selfies: Posting for attention



We’ve all seen the “selfie” pix on Facebook—those self-taken images in varying forms of dress (or undress). Usually they’re female poses taken in public restrooms, dressing rooms, bedrooms, and lots of what used to be private space. Thanks to selfies and social media, it’s open season on privacy—and modesty.

Do you have a social media “friend” who has become a serial selfie? Most often selfies are young girls sharing their sexiness with the world. Serial selfies post hundreds of pictures, so it’s hard to ignore the display.

The question is why do they do it. While I don’t approve of the sexy display of serial selfies, insecurity is at the root. Selfies collect “likes” to boost morale. The attention received is like a balm to their broken spirits. But the dark side of exhibitionism is feeling used—not unlike the girl searching for love and giving away her body in hopes of finding love.


Selfies seek approval. They're locked in a perpetual cycle of posting pix, inflating their self-worth while hoping to measure up to the impossible standard of public perfection.

As their pictures continue to fill social media newsfeeds, the result is overexposure—not just skin, but also the bare soul. This is the collateral damage of being in an online world where exposure is assured. Yet, in the end, respect can be lost, and the effects of attention are always fleeting. There is a hole in the serial selfie’s life—and it’s being filled with self-edification.

Even though I don’t have kids at home, I wonder if I would have been like the Texas mom who blocked her son’s accounts from selfie exhibitionists. I hope not. I’d rather not slam the online door in their face. 



Selfies need the right kind of attention. I won't block my serial selfie friends—and I hope they won’t block me. I’d rather become a better friend, a listening ear, a gentle comforter, and most of all a true encourager to them. There’s much more to real beauty than “likes” on a sexy selfie shot. Real beauty is within the heart and my beautiful serial selfie friends need to know this.

Imagine if we could encourage our selfie friends to be who God created them to be. Perhaps there’d be fewer selfies and more genuine smiles coming from young women living at peace in a body that doesn’t need to be shared excessively with the online world.

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