I bemoan selfie-obsessed culture a lot—but maybe I need to lighten up a little, because the selfie really isn’t anything new. Sure, it’s reached new and somewhat questionable heights with the advent of Instagram and other photo-sharing social networks; but as this infographic by marketing software company Marketo points out, the history of the selfie stretches way, way back. Ready for a trip down selfie memory lane?
First, there was the artist’s self-portrait. Marketo uses Vincent Van Gogh’s infamous “OMG I totally just cut off my ear” painting as their example, but self-portraits have been around for ages. The oldest known selfie in existence? Jan van Eyck’s Portrait of a Man in a Turban, which dates back to 1433 and is currently displayed in the National Gallery in London. At least, we think it’s the oldest known selfie; Wikipedia is telling me that we're not totally positive it’s a self-portrait, but we’re certain enough that it is that I feel comfortable calling it as such.
Then, of course, came the Polaroid, the disposable camera (remember those?), the camera phone, and all the rest—landing us squarely where we are today, with Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, and every other form of social media allowing us to share our selfies at the push of a button. The infographic even breaks down the different types of selfies that are most prevalent today, from sleeping selfies (James Franco, I’m looking at you) to no-makeup selfies. I would actually add things like "vacation selfies" and "unfortunate bathroom mirror selfies" to the list, but maybe that’s just me. I suppose at least this guy’s Sellotape selfie isn’t the norm, right?
Which selfie are you most guilty of snapping? Don’t worry; we won’t judge. Much.
<img alt="Selfie-Obsessed Generation" src="http://cdn.trendhunterstatic.com/thumbs/selfieobsessed-generation.jpeg" class="article-body-image" title="Image: http://cdn.trendhunterstatic.com/thumbs/selfieobsessed-generation.jpeg"/>
Images: Marketo
