The internet is overflowing with articles telling us when we absolutely, under no circumstances, no matter what should not take selfies.

We get it.

There are certainly a whole host of situations in which taking a selfie is not only rude, but dangerous, ignorant and just plain dumb.

But does that mean we should do away with the self-taken portrait entirely?

Just because some people have used frighteningly poor judgement when it comes to taking pictures of themselves doesn’t mean the selfie has to be ruined for all of us.

In fact, there are some occasions in which it’s pretty damn great to take a picture of yourself.

Whether we share it with the world or keep it for our eyes only, we should feel not a shred of guilt or shame snapping a pic of ourselves in these situations.

1. When We Feel Fly.

Most of us, average folks, who don’t have a professional style team on hand 24/7, often feel fairly blah about our appearance. That’s unfortunate, but it makes it even more important to stop and appreciate the moments when we feel totally fly.

It might be a normal work day or we might have gotten all gussied up for a wedding or a hot date, we look in the mirror and think something along the lines of, “How you doin’?”

Embrace it! Get your good side, engineer the perfect lighting and take a pic of yourself that makes you feel fabulous about you—definitely ain’t no shame in that game. Plus now you’ll have a killer new profile pic, am I right?

2. When We’re With Someone We Love.

There’s really no such thing as having too many pictures of ourselves with the people we adore: our besties, our kids, our significant other and anyone else who makes our world a better place.

We often find ourselves alone with these people, doing normal stuff like grabbing a quick coffee or just hanging on the couch together, which don’t really feel like Kodak moments. But aren’t these the moments that make up our lives and relationships with these people?

The next time we find ourselves having a belly laugh or just a stellar time with one of our personal VIPs, why not squish our faces together and document the moment? It might feel insignificant now, but when we’re scrolling through our pics on a sucky day in the future, that silly shot may be enough to lift our spirits.

3. When We’re Alone in a Beautiful Place.

We nature buffs often find ourselves solo in breathtakingly beautiful spots on a somewhat regular basis—either that or with one other person. For that reason, we have hundreds of pictures of scenery but very few of ourselves being in the midst of that gorgeous scenery.

In the moment it may seem like enough to get a picture of the place, but later you may regret that your photo collection looks like an impersonal nature calendar. Let’s remedy that by getting our own sweaty, joyous, sunburned faces in the shot.

4. When We Can’t Contain the Love for Our Pets.

Let’s face it, we’re kind of obsessed with our pets.  When we take a look at our digital photo albums, there’s an unreasonable amount of fur. But even the most pet-obsessed among us probably don’t have many snapshots of ourselves with our furry friends.

It may be a challenge to corral your pet into a selfie, but the results will surely be hilarious reminders of why we love our little buddies more than most people we know.

5. When You Need a Final Look Check.

Okay, so this is more about practicality than philosophy, but it’s valid nonetheless. When we’re getting ready for an important event and want to look our absolute best, the more checks the better. Sometimes a picture of ourselves reveals something the mirror doesn’t.

So, when we’re trying to pick an outfit or make sure every hair is in place, it’s a solid idea to snap a selfie and check it out before heading for the door. Hey, better selfie-safe than sorry.

6. When Someone You Love is Far Away.

Whether we’re in a long-distance romantic relationship or simply live painfully far away from our platonic soulmates, it can be tough to maintain close connections across the miles. Phone calls and texts are great, but as the old cliché goes, a picture truly does speak a thousand words.

Making pasta in the kitchen and have a sudden pang of longing for your boo? Snap a picture of yourself with a jar of tomato sauce and an exaggerated frown and send it off.  When he or she receives it, there’s no way they won’t smile and feel your presence.

7.  When You’re Really and Truly Happy.

No matter how we actually look from an objective, aesthetic standpoint, when we’re insanely happy, we always look freaking amazing.  We could, frankly, look a hot mess but if we’re feeling lit up from within, it will come through.

So, let’s capture those moments that don’t come around every day and build a collection of happy selfies that say, “This is me in a moment when I felt as if I would burst from joy.”

Obviously we shouldn’t be selfie-snapping to the point that we become self-obsessed jerks, but we ought to feel free to capture the moments that feel worth capturing.

So, here’s to not letting the internet tell us that we should feel bad about taking pictures of ourselves living our own happy, messy, funny and strange lives.

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Relephant read:

Diagnosing the Selfie.

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Author: GoGo Robots

Editor: Ashleigh Hitchcock

Photo: flickr