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Selfie
Jun 20, 2018 11:00:00 AM

Change Why You Selfie, Change Lives

Get Ready for National Selfie Day

On the eve of National Selfie Day, the team began to reminisce on life pre-selfie. Do you remember a world without selfies? If you’re leaning toward yes, think again.

Sure, Merriam-Webster and Oxford Dictionary focus on a more 21st century digital/social definition, but self-portraiting dates back to 1839 with Robert Cornlius setting up a shot and jumping in at the right time. (Did he photo bomb himself? That’s a question for another day.)

Flash forward:

Three well-dressed gentleman standing on a rooftop. 1920 era. Warm sepia tone. history of selfie

You get the point.

Although, the self-preservation of moments people want to share and have live on is nothing new. In addition to, our growing digital world, selfies have ample room to roam the plains of social media at high volumes.

 

Why do we do it?

That’s a big question. Typically, there are generalized reasons most traveling medical professionals can agree on:

  1. Memorializing the timeline of our lives.
  2. To share our experiences with friends and family.
  3. Playing around with personas and see what they look and feel like.
  4. Getting a little attention for being awesome or at times when we’re a little down.

Sure, selfies could be considered a little narcissistic, but like Pamela Rutledge, Ph.D., director of the Media Psychology Research Center said, “The humanist movement introduced the concept of healthy narcissism, recognizing that some amount of self-love or self-esteem and a realistic appraisal of and appreciation for one’s qualities is necessary for healthy development.”

Selfie away, we say! Just don’t measure your value on others’ judgements. You do you, and do it with heart, happiness and truth.

 

Why should we do it (using #LRSelfie & #OperationSmile)?

Firstly, our team decided the answer to this question can have a universally agreed upon answer this National Selfie Day: to save lives. However, by changing your “selfie why” over the next few days, you are a part of something bigger than our selfies too.

Operation Smile is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing life-saving cleft lip and/or pallet surgeries to those without safe access to it.

We’ve decided to donate $1,000 to Operation Smile, and your selfie post can add $5 to that amount 06.20.18–06.24.18. Here’s how:

  • Post a selfie to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn using #LRSelfie and #OperationSmile.

Change why you selfie between 06.20.18–06.24.18, change lives. It’s a way we can all celebrate life and the power of the medical profession together to create bright smiles around the world.

Without surgery, nine in 10 children born with a cleft condition could die. However, a life-changing surgery to correct this condition is estimated to cost as little as $240 and creates images of hope and happiness.

 

cleft pallet transformation  two young girls with cleft pallet

Click here for official rules. More of Operation Smile’s before and after surgery photos can be viewed on their Facebook page.

So again, selfie away, we say! Let’s help Operation Smile save lives.

#LRSelfie #OperationSmile