10.29.25 // To the girl who is scared to take the selfie

To the girl who is scared to take the selfie.... to stop, to turn the camera toward herself, to risk being seen.
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To the girl who hesitates because she doesn’t want to be “cringy,” who worries that pausing for a photo means she’s full of herself, that she’s trying too hard, that she’ll look like she’s seeking attention.... you’re not.
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You’re not being vain.
You’re not being self-absorbed.
You’re not being “too much.”
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You’re here.
You’re marking proof of your own existence.
You’re witnessing yourself in a world that often asks you to disappear.
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If you keep yourself small, you keep yourself from remembering. From seeing the way your eyes crinkle with a big smile, the way your skin was kissed by the sun, and the way your joy took shape in your body. You keep yourself from honoring the girl you’ve been and the one you’re still becoming.
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So take the photo.
Even if your hair’s messy.
Even if the light isn’t perfect.
Even if you feel a little silly holding your phone at arm’s length.
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Take it because this version of you will never exist again...  Take it because it’s brave to be perceived, to stand in the light and let yourself be witnessed.
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You deserve to see yourself in your own story, not just as the one holding the camera steady, but as the one who belongs in the frame.