Aimee+E’s+Final+AmEx+2013+Speech

=Title of Speech= "An End to all Selfies"

=Text of Speech= I know what you’re all thinking: are you serious, another speech? I’m just going to go check instagram and totally zone out.

However, as you all scroll through your instagram news feed, I guarantee you will be plagued with the horrible, widespread phenomenon that is...... “SELFIES”. This epidemic has struck the teenage population, typically ages 13-17, and often has side effects of:


 * 1) Immediate mockery
 * 2) Regret on which instagram filter you chose- “Valencia” or “Willow” I can’t decide OMG.
 * 3) Indecision on which Justin Bieber quote to title as your picture’s caption.
 * 4) LOSS OF FOLLOWERS
 * 5) And let’s not forget, lifelong narcissism, causing others to gravitate away from your excessive “I’m not a model, the camera just showed up” photos.

In the America I want to grow old in, I want to see an end to SELFIES.

Since the dawn of time, people have been utterly obsessed with themselves. I mean, take Napoleon Bonaparte for example. That little French man propagandized his image through various paintings of himself to win over the French population! Now that we have social media such as instagram, twitter or facebook to rely on, people have reached a new level of narcissism. Instagram is blighted with photos of many females, and yes males too, who post pictures of themselves like it’s the last time we are going to see their “oh so attractive faces”. Phrases like “She was like the moon, half of her was always hidden away” followed with pictures of the individual’s profile. So deep. So admirable. Stop.

Not only are these selfie culprits contaminating the minds of the viewers, but are creating a life full of vanity and superficial pleasures. By manifesting themselves in their self image, concerned with how many likes they get, a meagre yet significant lifestyle can be formed where the individual appreciates the surface, the pretty picture. Not the harsh, un-photoshopped reality of the real world. A little self-vanity can be very harmful.

Plus, how would you like living in a world where you walk around every corner and everyone is smiling or making a duck face towards their phones? That is just flat out creepy if you think about it. Just two days ago, I was getting frozen yogurt, keeping to myself enjoying my glorious chocolately goodness, when an Asian family plops down right next to me and takes a picture of their family outing, holding the camera out in front of them and saying “SAY YOGURT”... I’m pretty sure I’m in the background of the picture going like “what the hell”.

Mainly, females are the prime contenders of this phenomenon, posting pictures of their boobs and duck faces all over the internet, giving girls everywhere a bad name. And I could totally understand a picture of yourself every once in a while, because that is normal. But when I see over edited, raunchy pictures I just get pissed off. Actually it’s not only the picture, it’s the captions that are just idiotic and completely irrelevant. I think a dramatic reading of some of the captions is necessary. Here we go:


 * 1) Don’t let your dreams be dreams
 * 2) It’s all lies, darling.
 * 3) #selfiesunday #indiegram #indie
 * 4) I want to be your favorite hello and your hardest goodbye.
 * 5) STRAIGHT FLEXING THATS MOST DOPE.

Literally what do those even mean.

What I am asking is not very difficult to comprehend. Please keep your obnoxious self to a limit and quit exploiting your body to the public. Think about the next time you pull out your slick, white iPhone to take a selfie and realize that you may be embarrassing yourself and others beyond belief. Thank you.

=Cite Your Sources=
 * 1) myselfie pun intended!