Everyone's heard of the term "selfie" - most of us have taken huge numbers of them and slapped them up on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram...it's hugely popular. But Kim Kardashian has taken the concept further, by planning to release a book of them, called "Selfish." 352 pages. $19.95.
Why do people take selfies? The most obvious answer, to me, seems to be self-esteem issues - by taking a seemingly flawless photo of yourself, you'll feel more confident and want to share evidence of how good you can look on social media. It's a way to generate attention and attract likes, fans, retweets, favourites...whatever you want. They're universal - most people find it has a certain appeal.
So why take the concept further and create an entire book? I can't think of any other reason than to make even more money - the original concept was a Valentine's Day gift for husband Kanye West, so why would you take it even further and make fans pay for photos, when they can access plenty on social media sites?
I mean, surely she has enough money - what with appearing in multiple TV shows and films, launching several clothing collections and fragrances with her sisters Kourtney and Khloe, being a part of reality TV show "Keeping up with the Kardashians", and launching the game "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood" for iPhone and Android. Why publish a book where you basically sell yourself for an extortionate price?
Kim said, "I mean every girl takes full pictures of their ass in the mirror...I might share some of them." My question is: why? For one thing, I don't take full pictures of my ass in my mirror. Surely if you need to do that you're trying to convince yourself it looks good, which again links back to self esteem issues. For another, sharing such photos will simply convince her fans that it's good to take pictures of their backsides and share it with the world - what kind of message is that?
The publishers of "Selfish" have said that the book is "a tribute to her fans who have supported her through her very highly publicised journey", but I fail to see how a collection of photos constitutes a thank you. Surely a written message of support or allowing fans to choose a charity to donate to is a much more meaningful response than a book that simply teaches fans the empty values of materialism?
It's quite incredible that someone can literally put their face on something and it will sell - but I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. And surely the title "Selfish" is a little degrading considering Kim is so protective of her public image?
Making the most of yourself is one thing - flaunting your body for the world to see another - but selling photos in a book? That's a sign that the selfie trend has gone too far.
Why do people take selfies? The most obvious answer, to me, seems to be self-esteem issues - by taking a seemingly flawless photo of yourself, you'll feel more confident and want to share evidence of how good you can look on social media. It's a way to generate attention and attract likes, fans, retweets, favourites...whatever you want. They're universal - most people find it has a certain appeal.
So why take the concept further and create an entire book? I can't think of any other reason than to make even more money - the original concept was a Valentine's Day gift for husband Kanye West, so why would you take it even further and make fans pay for photos, when they can access plenty on social media sites?
I mean, surely she has enough money - what with appearing in multiple TV shows and films, launching several clothing collections and fragrances with her sisters Kourtney and Khloe, being a part of reality TV show "Keeping up with the Kardashians", and launching the game "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood" for iPhone and Android. Why publish a book where you basically sell yourself for an extortionate price?
Kim said, "I mean every girl takes full pictures of their ass in the mirror...I might share some of them." My question is: why? For one thing, I don't take full pictures of my ass in my mirror. Surely if you need to do that you're trying to convince yourself it looks good, which again links back to self esteem issues. For another, sharing such photos will simply convince her fans that it's good to take pictures of their backsides and share it with the world - what kind of message is that?
The publishers of "Selfish" have said that the book is "a tribute to her fans who have supported her through her very highly publicised journey", but I fail to see how a collection of photos constitutes a thank you. Surely a written message of support or allowing fans to choose a charity to donate to is a much more meaningful response than a book that simply teaches fans the empty values of materialism?
It's quite incredible that someone can literally put their face on something and it will sell - but I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. And surely the title "Selfish" is a little degrading considering Kim is so protective of her public image?
Making the most of yourself is one thing - flaunting your body for the world to see another - but selling photos in a book? That's a sign that the selfie trend has gone too far.