Boston-based singer-songwriter Anastasia Markov credits LARPing with helping her develop her on-stage persona, so it’s no surprise that she’s not  shy when it comes to snapping a photo or two with her iPhone and posting it for all to see. We asked Markov to send us her thoughts on a important cultural issue, and what we go back are the artists thoughts on why the selfie craze may be more than just skin deep.

Check out Markov’s guest blog below, and stream her debut EP Suicide Seating at the same time. Markov will be playing at TT the Bear’s with Mammoth Murmor and Bear Stevens on July 29th.

I take a lot of pictures of myself. But recently, I had a moment where I questioned my shameless selfie-taking. I felt really cute while I was waiting for the train, so I pulled out my phone and took a picture of myself. A man standing about fifteen feet away called me out on my selfie and started playfully picking on me. Embarrassed, I put my phone away, but that stranger’s reaction stayed with me.

I shouldn’t have felt ashamed for taking that selfie on the train platform. I looked great and I wanted the world to know. Is that vain? Maybe a little, but in a society full of photoshopped-magazine covers reminding me that I will never look like Mila Kunis, why shouldn’t I have embraced that moment of positive self-esteem? It’s impossible to feel good about myself every time I look in a mirror. I have bad hair days, days I feel bloated, and lots of days where I have pimples, but Mila Kunis is always photoshopped perfection. Even when she’s not photoshopped, I assume she’s still perfect. I’m not perfect, but I try to love myself anyway, and taking selfies certainly helps.

I also want to celebrate my friends’ moments of positive self-esteem. My friends are all so friggin’ cute, when I see their selfies, I wish I could reach through my phone and touch their faces because I can’t believe DNA can assemble itself into such an attractive human being. I want to celebrate the self-esteem of strangers too. When I see a cute selfie on Tumblr of someone I don’t know, I like the shit out of it. Everybody has moments of self-doubt and days when they feel ugly, so it probably makes them feel great to see a complete stranger appreciate how good they look.

If someone ever tries to make fun of you for taking a public selfie like that guy did to me, do not get embarrassed. My advice for you? Turn around and take a surprise selfie with that guy. That fool doesn’t know his angles like you know yours, and his face will look as ugly as his personality. And you will look super cute, as always.

Celebrate your self-esteem, celebrate yourself, and most of all, celebrate the selfie