Selfies: An Underrated Form of Female Empowerment?

This International Women's Day, smartphone brand HONOR is celebrating selfies in a big way.

Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen and even Michelle Obama have been using selfies to make a statement since the birth of social media. Whether to provoke controversy, take a stand for something they believe in or simply to show off their latest beauty look, for these celebrities, selfies have become a pivotal form of digital self-expression.

And on the run-up to International Women's Day, leading smartphone brand HONOR is taking a look at how the selfie landscape has changed and evolved to help women feel more empowered in the digital age.

Gone are the days when a selfie was simply posted to celebrate the perfect cat flick – now, it's one of the most popular ways for women to express their individuality online. Why not show the world how much you’re feeling yourself with a fire selfie, or even an unfiltered snap of your stretch marks to break down the 'MY LIFE IS PERFECT' myth that prevails on social media? In the words of Coco Chanel, who’s been setting trends since the 1920s, “beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.”

A selfie lets you take control of your image on social media and express yourself however you want. Ignore the haters who tell you that your selfies are simply acts of vanity, too – academics at the Australian National University found that 90% of selfies aren’t posted to self-promote (aka thirst-traps), but more to keep friends and family up to date with people's movements or moods.

Over the past decade, social media has helped in breaking down beauty standards by giving women and men with diverse backgrounds, abilities and gender identities a platform of expression. By sharing selfies that showcase their individual beauty, people around the world are using their smartphones as a tool to express who they really are and what’s important to them.

To make your selfies stand out, arm yourself with the HONOR 9 Lite. As well as being one of the most affordable devices around, this mobile comes complete with a stellar camera that’s guaranteed to help you up your selfie game. The four-lens camera was designed with your true beauty in mind and also comes with a function that lets you blur the background of your pictures to let your personality shine through front and centre.

As many women share their own empowered selfies this International Women’s Day, join the movement by tagging BeyondBeauty, HONOR 9 Lite and IWD2018.

To up your own selfie game this International Women’s Day, check out the HONOR 9 Lite mobile. When you’re not afraid to follow your dreams, you sometimes wind up inspiring the world. Take a journey with HONOR 9 Lite on this Women’s Day and share a photo of a woman who inspires you – just tag @honorglobal…