Hot Flash: Shelfie - the new selfie

Instagram: The place where you get to see photos of every aspect of someone’s life, by means of a square photo. From material items, to fresh manicures, to the weather, to selfies before, during and after whatever it is someone deems crucial for their followers to see, we see it all on our feed. We all know types: the new mom, the obsessive dog mom, the selfie queen, the person who takes photos of everything they own in life, the person who loves to eat and loves to show you what they eat and now there is another category to watch out for — the “shelfie.”

What is a “shelfie?”
According to Apartment Therapy, the term is defined as a photo of your possessions artfully arranged on a shelf-like surface.

You likely have already posted a shelfie, or at least, seen one. A neatly arranged desk, a perfectly decorated nightstand, a clean makeup case, your #OOTD (outfit of the day) casually “tossed” on your made bed, fresh flowers, your completed Pinterest furniture restoration project, your breakfast on fine china with Thursday’s Observer laying next to the placemat — you get the idea.

After seeing a few examples of these artful displays of interior possessions and design, I realized I too had shelfie credit:

So what do we make of this “shelfie?” Is it just a neat way to capture your personal design taste or another outlet for showing off your cool stuff? Whatever your thoughts, we gave it try.

While attempting my own “shelfie,” I realized I was moving things around, dusting, arranging things in a way that probably aren’t even functional on my desk — it wasn’t authentic.

This is not what my desk really looks like:

Don’t curate your space — take the photo from your point of view, the view that initially caught your eye and prompted you to take the photo.

This is really what my decorative tray with no purpose on my desk looks like:

BT’s philosophical Instagram tip:
Don’t plan your shelfie, just take one when the time is right.