The Selfie Project: Self-Representation in the Modern Age
I’m interested in the value of self-representation—autobiography rather than biography, self-portrait rather than portrait, selfie rather than photograph, etc. There is power in constructing our own narratives about ourselves — and in sharing those narratives, in whatever way they appear. For my hybrid project, I want to (1) look critically into the power dynamics of self-representation (in both word and image—so far, my research has mostly been in selfies and memoir) and also (2) try my hand at different modes of self-representation.
Word-Arty Questions: What’s the push-pull between words and images in these self-representations? Do I better represent myself in a picture or in words, or some combination of the two?
Plan!
1st: Critical paper (7-10 pages) about the value and nature of self-representation, including:
- drawing in articles about politics of selfies (Syme’s “Selfie” essay) and memoir-writing (Beck & Strawson’s articles about whether we can/should see lives as stories)
- case study of my self-expression online on different forms of social media (probably Snapchat, Facebook, Insta, Twitter, Tumblr). How does my representation of myself differ in each medium, especially those involving both word and image (like Insta captions or the text-on-image juxtaposition of Snapchat)
2nd: Creative element in which I represent myself in artsier ways than the case studies of my social media posts. Including (probably):
- image representations: selfie and self-portrait
- text representations: memoiry personal narrative (no more than 750 words) and short bio (no more than 150 words)
3rd: Analysis of creative self-representations, to be added to critical paper (here’s how each mode of self-representation functions. What different lens of self is expressed in each example, and how is the relation between word & image connected to that version of self that’s expressed?)
Revised plan! (4/5)
1st: Critical paper on the representational value of selfies, i.e. the social impact of taking your own picture and controlling your own narrative. There’s definitely a feminist dimension to selfie culture; women are hugely criticized for self-obsession when taking pictures of themselves, related to the way John Berger explained the male gaze of art in history in Ways of Seeing. (“You paint a naked woman because you enjoy looking at her, you put a mirror in her hand, and you call the painting Vanity.” But swap the mirror for a phone.) But people can wield selfies in an activist way — I’m thinking of how websites like Tumblr & Twitter were recently deluged with selfies during Transgender Day of Visibility, for the purposes of representation. So I think a woman taking a picture of herself is a powerful act in and of itself. When talking about my own self-representation I think it’s important to keep in mind my positionality as a white woman.
2nd: Creative portion — I still would like to analyze my self-expression in various media forms online (Facebook/Twitter/Insta/etc), but instead of looking at my self-representation across different art forms, I’d like to curate a short portfolio of my own selfies (5-6 images) and analyze how I think they function — in what way do they accurately, humorously, or successfully depict the image of myself that I’m trying to convey? Which are better than others, and why? I definitely think selfies and the success of posted selfies (as on Instagram) are informed by a new sense of what “artsy” means (composition, lighting, filters, expression all factor in), so that will definitely be part of my analysis. (Is the best selfie the prettiest picture, or is a technically bad picture actually sometimes a better representation of self?)
Creative and critical are obviously super interrelated, but I see the critical paper as having two main parts — social impact of selfies in general (more academic) and interpretations of my own selfies + self-representation online. I’d also like to show images of the portfolio of chosen selfies and the relevant online media posts.
Preliminary Bibliography:
Beck, Julie. “Life’s Stories.” The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group, 10 Aug. 2015. Web.
Eakin, Paul John. “Self and Self-Representation Online and Off.” Frame 28.1, May 2015. 11-29. Web.
Mendelsohn, Daniel. “But Enough About Me.” New Yorker, 25 Jan. 2010. Web.
Simmons, Rachel. “Selfies Are Good for Girls.” Slate. The Slate Group, 20 Nov. 2013. Web.
Strawson, Galen. “I am not a story.” Aeon. Aeon Media, 3 Sept. 2015. Web.
Syme, Rachel. “Selfie: The revolutionary potential of your own face, in seven chapters.” Matter. Medium, 19 Nov. 2015. Web.
I love the way this proposal combines an intriguing, fun focus on the selfie with a serious, sophisticated theoretical investigation of the new genre. Your bibliography offers a very solid foundation for what remains a very broad, sketchy set of questions. I strongly recommend that you focus on one genre, such as the new form of the “selfie,” and not take on memoir, autobiography, and self-portraiture as well. I also want to know what “more artsy” means and whether or not the very genre of the selfie is informed by a new aesthetic of “artsy-ness.” Perhaps you can be the person to theorize and explain the social and artistic significance of this aesthetic! I also encourage you to nail down more precise questions so that you don’t get lost in a hall of mirrors. Could there be a feminist dimension to your project? What exactly do you want to learn? What “value” are you proposing to investigate and who is the “we” that you speak for? I love this topic and the playful spirit in which you propose, and I think you will actually have more fun and learn more if you pin it down more precisely!