#ILoveMySelfie all bout self love

Body image is established by an individual and the world. Working to achieve a positive view is a responsibility for both.

Selfies have become highly publicized and popular, especially in social networking sites.

Scrolling through Instagram, I see selfies galore. I don’t need that many pictures of my friends’ faces, but I realize they do.

The selfie has become a symbol of confidence and pride; a selfie was taken because that person felt good about their image.

The Asian American Center is collaborating with Independent Awakening’s #ILoveMySelfie campaign in hopes of promoting self-love and a positive body image through selfies.

Christina Carpio, graduate assistant at the Asian American Center, suggested the collaboration. Carpio is the university liaison for Independent Awakening.

“Independent Awakening is a new startup, nonprofit group working with young adults to promote healthy relationships and empower them against domestic violence through self-love,” Carpio said.

Independent Awakening’s selfie campaign may seem like an unusual way to promote healthy relationships, but selfies promote self-love, which is imperative to loving someone else.

From noon to 2 p.m. Feb. 14 at the Holmes Student Center and DuSable Hall, the group will have tables set up for students and faculty to take selfies with their favorite inspirational quote.

Independent Awakening has set a goal of getting more than 1,000 selfies from across the nation submitted to its website.

Michelle Bringas, Asian American Center director, said this event is not limited to one ethnicity and she hopes it spurs future events that will promote acceptance.

“We want to use this as a launching point to develop the idea of a positive body image,” Bringas said. “We don’t want people to think this is it.”

There is only one you, so take that selfie and skip the filtered picture of tonight’s dinner.