Selfies Be Like — Chapter 75 Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

In this short, lyrical chapter, the speaker turns the act of taking a selfie into a ritual of self-discovery and affirmation. The poem opens with a few clicks of the camera and a search for the right angle and lighting. The speaker quickly learns a practical lesson: placing the light behind the subject makes the person appear darker than they truly are. So she repositions the light behind the camera, ensuring the illumination falls on her face rather than behind her.

With the lighting corrected, she experiments with a series of expressions—smizing, smirking, and smiling—each time pretending she is a model and that no one is watching. She then activates the flash and applies a filter, making the image more vivid and striking. With every click, she calms herself, imagining that she is becoming someone more stylish and confident. She channels the energy of famous models and performers like Iman, Beyoncé, Eva, and Naomi, drawing on their poise and power.

The poem concludes with the speaker ignoring the stares of onlookers and affirming her own transformation. She repeats that she is becoming herself, that she looks like an angel, and that she can see how far she has come. The selfie, which might seem like a trivial act, becomes a declaration of self-love and a marker of personal growth.

Key Events

• The speaker takes several selfies, experimenting with angles and lighting.

• She discovers that backlighting makes her appear darker and adjusts the light to be behind the camera.

• She tries different expressions—smizing, smirking, smiling—while pretending to be a model.

• She uses the flash and a filter to make the image more vivid.

• She calms herself with each click and imagines becoming more stylish, channeling famous models.

• She ignores onlookers and affirms that she is becoming herself, looks like an angel, and recognizes her progress.

Character Development

This chapter offers a glimpse into the speaker's internal world and her evolving sense of identity. At the start, she is concerned with how she appears to others—she worries about the lighting making her look darker, and she tries on different expressions to find the right one. This suggests a degree of self-consciousness and a desire to control her image. However, as the poem progresses, she shifts from seeking external approval to asserting her own worth. By the end, she is no longer performing for an audience; she is performing for herself. The act of taking a selfie becomes a way of constructing a self she can love and admire.

The speaker's choice to channel models like Iman, Beyoncé, Eva, and Naomi is significant. These are Black women who have redefined beauty standards and achieved success on their own terms. By invoking them, the speaker connects herself to a lineage of strength and glamour, and she begins to see herself as part of that tradition. The final affirmation—that she looks like an angel and has come far—shows a new level of self-acceptance and pride. This is a quiet but powerful moment of growth for a character who has likely struggled with self-image throughout the novel.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Self-Image and Identity Construction

The selfie is a direct metaphor for how the speaker is actively building her identity. She controls the angle, the light, the expression, and the filter—each choice shaping how she is seen and how she sees herself. The poem suggests that identity is not fixed but something we can curate and refine.

Light as Metaphor

Light plays a central role. The speaker learns that light behind her makes her appear darker, so she moves it to illuminate her face. This can be read as a metaphor for visibility and truth: she wants to be seen clearly, not obscured by shadows. It also speaks to the idea of self-representation—she refuses to let external conditions darken her true self.

Performance and Empowerment

The speaker pretends to be a model, smizing and smirking as if on a runway. This performance is not about being fake; it's about trying on confidence until it becomes real. The act of performing a powerful version of herself helps her become that version.

Filters and the Curated Self

The use of a filter to make the image more vivid suggests a desire to enhance or amplify her beauty. While filters can be seen as artificial, here they are a tool of self-empowerment—she is not hiding but highlighting what she loves about herself.

Self-Love and Growth

The poem ends with a declaration of self-love and a recognition of how far she has come. This ties to the novel's broader themes of resilience and self-acceptance, especially for a young Black girl navigating a world that often devalues her.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 75 is a turning point in the speaker's emotional journey. Throughout Chlorine Sky, the protagonist has dealt with friendship, family, and the challenges of growing up. This chapter shows her actively working on her self-perception and finding joy in her own image. The selfie becomes a small but meaningful act of resistance against the pressures to conform to narrow beauty standards.

The chapter also highlights the role of social media and self-representation in contemporary adolescence. For many young people, taking a selfie is not just vanity—it's a way to claim space and assert identity. The speaker's careful attention to lighting and angle mirrors the way she is learning to navigate her own life, making deliberate choices about how she presents herself to the world.

Finally, the poem's structure—short, rhythmic, and repetitive—mirrors the act of taking multiple photos and the internal mantra of affirmation. This stylistic choice reinforces the theme of self-construction: each click brings her closer to the person she wants to be.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does the speaker's handling of lighting reflect her understanding of self-image?

The speaker realizes that placing the light behind her makes her appear darker, so she moves the light to face her. This shows that she is aware of how external factors can distort her true appearance. By controlling the light, she takes charge of how she is seen, symbolizing her growing agency over her own identity. She refuses to let circumstances darken her, and instead positions herself to be fully visible.

2. What is the significance of the speaker channeling models like Iman, Beyoncé, Eva, and Naomi?

These are all successful Black women who have redefined beauty and style on their own terms. By invoking them, the speaker connects herself to a legacy of strength and glamour. She is not just imitating them; she is drawing on their confidence to imagine her own power. This act of channeling helps her step into a more assertive and self-assured version of herself.

3. How does the poem's ending affirm the speaker's growth?

The ending shifts from the mechanics of taking a selfie to a direct affirmation: she is becoming herself, she looks like an angel, and she sees how far she has come. This is a clear departure from the earlier uncertainty about angles and expressions. The repetition of “you are becoming” emphasizes an ongoing process, and the final line “look how far you’ve come” acknowledges the progress she has made. It shows that the selfie ritual has moved her from self-doubt to self-love.

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