Too many desperate, vain show-offs online now

Quite recently I came across the term “selfies”. Selfies are pictures that are taken of oneself while holding the camera at arm’s length. They have become extremely popular since cameras have been incorporated into phones and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have become a mainstream way of communicating.

In fact, the term “selfies” is so commonly used that the Oxford Dictionary is monitoring it as a possible addition!

While several famous faces like Justin Bieber and David Beckham are used to posing with their shirts off and uploading pictures of themselves from wherever they are in the world, much to the delight of fans, it seems there is no limit to the selfie phenomenon.

But while bloggers, celebrities and millions of people around the world upload countless photos of themselves daily on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat (or whatever it is the kids are into these days), I doubt many will have taken or asked someone to take a “belfie”!

Yes, the latest craze in the celebrity world at the moment is belfies – a bottom selfie – and self-obsessed celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Kelly Brook and Rihanna are thriving on flashing their bikini-clad fake (or digitally enhanced) bottoms to the world.

Although selfies are a pastime across generations and cultures, not everyone was impressed about the racy swimsuit image Kim Kardashian posted on her Instagram page last week.

Branded the “queen of the belfie”, Kim caused a stir when she revealed her hourglass curves and a great deal of skin to the world and has since received a lot of backlash from people calling her “disgusting, desperate and embarrassing”.

Thanks to people like the Kardashians, the selfie (and now belfie) addiction is spiralling out of control with millions of people posting self-taken snaps every day.

Personally, I feel selfies and belfies have gone a little too far and media users need to set some boundaries.

To strike a pose in the mirror, whip out a smart phone and snap a photo of yourself to send to a loved one/friend is quite normal and acceptable, but to post semi-naked pictures showing off your cleavage in the hope of praise is just sad.

I agree if you’ve got it, flaunt it, but let others do the snapping rather than coming across as a desperate, vain show off!