‘I asked my best friend why there were so many crying bloggers on the Internet. Was there nothing else to do while in pain then turn your camera to portrait mode? Now it makes sense to me.’: Woman shares opinion on emotional selfies

“A week prior to this picture, I asked my best friend why there were so many crying bloggers on the Internet.

I literally pondered why someone would take a selfie during their most vulnerable moment and share it with the world. Was it attention-seeking? Was there nothing else to do while in pain than turn your camera to portrait mode?

Now it makes sense to me. Turns out there’s no good photo to accompany hard news, except an honest one.

This was me moments after learning I needed a hysterectomy. If there had been a camera handy, this would’ve been me the day my husband’s heart stopped, or when my kids were diagnosed with autism, or when I survived abuse, or miscarriage, or any of my other blunders.

I’m embarrassed by how I look here, but I’m not ashamed of how I feel.

It’s easier to post our ‘happy’ instead of our hardships. We are a society of fast scrollers, and sometimes people’s pain makes us squirm (or have to stop and examine our own).

But the truth is, silence has always made me sicker.

So here’s a photo of me at my worst, and arguably my most authentic best. It’s for every woman who has ever cried in a closet over betrayal, or stillbirth, or sexual assault, or children with special needs. I’m heartbroken and sad here, but that’s okay because I know I’m not alone.

We’ve all looked like this at some point—hurting and helpless. I know this because there’s just no way to get through a broken world unbroken. There will be pretty. There will be pain too.

And I think the only way to survive is if we start showing our real selves (and selfies) to each other.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Stephanie Hanrahan. Follow Stephanie on Facebook here, Instagram here and visit her website here. Submit your own story here, and subscribe to our best stories in our free newsletter here.

Read more from Stephanie here: 

‘That’s when I heard the thud. The sound of a 200-plus pound body hitting the nightstand next to our bed. A healthy, 31-year old, former athlete doesn’t just drop.’: Woman surprised by husband’s heart condition

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‘I didn’t need his permission. I closed my eyes, clicked a button, and finally put an end to my pretending.’: It’s been one year since I stopped faking it on social media

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