What explains our current obsession with selfies? In I Love My Selfie noted cultural critic Ilan Stavans explores the selfie's historical and cultural roots by discussing everything from Greek mythology and Shakespeare to Andy Warhol, James Franco, and Pope Francis. He sees selfies as tools people use to disguise or present themselves as spontaneous and casual. This collaboration includes a portfolio of fifty autoportraits by the artist ADÁL; he and Stavans use them as a way to question the notion of the self and to engage with artists, celebrities, technology, identity, and politics. Provocative and engaging, I Love My Selfie will change the way readers think about this unavoidable phenomenon of twenty-first-century life.

In Selfie Aesthetics Nicole Erin Morse examines how trans feminine artists use selfies and self-representational art to explore transition, selfhood, and relationality. Morse contends that rather than being understood as shallow emblems of a narcissistic age, selfies can produce politically meaningful encounters between creators and viewers. Through close readings of selfies and other digital artworks by trans feminist artists, Morse details a set of formal strategies they call selfie aesthetics: doubling, improvisation, seriality, and nonlinear temporality. Morse traces these strategies in the work of Zackary Drucker, Vivek Shraya, Tourmaline, Alok Vaid-Menon, Zinnia Jones, and Natalie Wynn, showing how these artists present improvisational identities and new modes of performative resistance by conveying the materialities of trans life. Morse shows how the interaction between selfie creators and viewers constructs collective modes of being and belonging in ways that envision trans feminist futures. By demonstrating the aesthetic depth and political potential of selfie creation, distribution, and reception, Morse deepens understandings of gender performativity and trans experience.

Biting, pungent, salty and – yes – sweet, too, this is the true story of Albert Cho’s life in food and the paramount place of food in his life. Writer Albert Cho has lived through a lot already - from the bland suburban Kiwi racism and heady dairy lolly-bag runs of his childhood to sexual abuse; from the lows of disordered eating to the highs of substance addiction; from obscurity to international modelling; from influencer success and controversy to 'C-list celebrity fame'. In this book, he tells his story and reveals the restorative power of hot soup, family and friends, the invincibility of the truth and the liberation of love. As a strong believer that food should always be shared, Albert includes recipes – his own, his mum’s and his friends’ - some of them New Zealand’s leading chefs. Inside you’ll find home baking Kiwi treats like melting moments and chocolate cake, traditional Korean classics, easy snacks and other hacks, Albert’s favourite restaurant and street food dishes, the meat pie that broke the internet, and more. Part recipe book, part backstory to the phenomenon of @eatlitfood, part unapologetically sweary guide to eating and drinking and savoir vivre, I Love My Stupid Life is - above all - a powerfully candid and moving memoir from one of the most inimitable, unapologetic voices of our time. Essential reading. Food is so much more than flavours and textures. One spoonful of food can hold infinite power and meaning, whether fond memories, nostalgia or trauma. Swallowing that spoonful can be a battle, but it can also be triumphant. It can lead to you sharing parts of yourself that you’ve never shared before..."

Mom is old-fashioned. She likes things hand sewn. To make her more modern, we bought a smartphone. . . . For Mom’s birthday, her kids are excited to teach her how to take selfies with her new smartphone. At first, it’s lots of fun for the whole family. Soon, driven to take the perfect selfie, Mom begins to document everything, from ski team practice to dance class, and even photo-bombing someone's wedding—until her daughter reminds her that maybe this smartphone wasn’t the best gift after all. In a world obsessed with self-documentation comes a tale in Me, Myselfie, & I that shows us with humor and love that the best things happen while the smartphone is turned off.

New York Times Bestseller ● Publishers Weekly Bestseller ● Los Angeles Times Bestseller ● Wall Street Journal Bestseller A brilliant, hilarious, and honest essay collection from #1 New York Times bestselling author and YouTube sensation Shane Dawson about how messy life can get when you’re growing up but how rewarding it can feel when the clean-up is (pretty much) done. From his first vlog back in 2008 to his full-length film directorial debut Not Cool, Shane Dawson has been an open book when it comes to documenting his life. But behind the music video spoofs, TMI love life details, and outrageous commentary on everything the celebrity and Internet world has the nerve to dish out is a guy who grew up in a financially challenged but loving home in Long Beach, California, and who suffered all the teasing and social limitations that arise when you’re a morbidly obese kid with a pretty face, your mom is your best friend, and you can't get a date to save your life. In I Hate Myselfie, Shane steps away from his larger-than-life Internet persona and takes us deep into the experiences of an eccentric and introverted kid, who by observing the strange world around him developed a talent that would inspire millions of fans. Intelligent, hilarious, heartbreaking, and raw, I Hate Myselfie is a collection of eighteen personal essays about how messy life can get when you’re growing up and how rewarding it can feel when the clean-up is (pretty much) done.

The Psychology of the Selfie provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of research on the significance of selfies, offering insights into the topic from a psychological perspective and examining important issues such as body image, self-objectification, mental health and psychological benefits. Selfies are a worldwide phenomenon. Although dismissed by critics as a sign of self-absorbed narcissism, they are also a social currency that maintains and reinforces friendships, a feedback loop for self-identity affirmation, a promotional tool for gaining social influence, and a method for preserving memories of life events. In this book, Barrie Gunter expertly explores the psychological underpinnings of the contemporary global phenomenon of "selfies", from the historical roots and meteoric rise due to technical advancements, to the different personality types of selfie-takers, to social relationships, to group and personal identity. Looking at both the psychological nature and impact of selfies, this book reviews different psychological outcomes for selfie-takers, both positive and negative, and the growth in psychological and physical problems that can sometimes arise. Presenting a comprehensive analysis specifically of selfie behaviour, this book is an essential reference for students and researchers in communications and media, journalism, information studies, psychology and sociology, as well as anyone with a general interest in the phenomenon.

Why must beauty be seen as a binary that is either oppressive or empowering for women? The Beauty Paradox: Femininity in the Age of Selfies argues that women’s experiences of beauty as both validating and belittling is grounded in the contradictory injunctions that they receive regarding their participation in beauty culture. Piazzesi identifies the four main paradoxes of Western beauty culture: the worth paradox, the authenticity paradox, the power paradox, and the commitment paradox and examines how they trail women’s everyday experiences, choices, and reflections regarding beauty. She examines the role of beauty in women’s everyday lives and in a variety of contexts: informal social encounters, work and career settings, parenting, intergenerational relationships, self-care, and online networking practices. The author broadens the current discourse on beauty with an emphasis on the digital world, primarily the use of selfies.