It Takes ‘Star Wars’ Star Daisy Ridley To Uncover The Lies Behind Selfies

Star Wars star Daisy Ridley took to Instagram today in order to make a statement: That selfies often announced as natural and unfiltered are often the most edited ones. Of course, she wasn’t referring to the ET Online-propagated Lady Gaga selfie on March 30, which showed the Queen of Pop enjoying a slice of cake with no make-up on. Surely, the cake, as well as having no filters, were both a rare treat. After all, celebrating one’s birthday and having no make-up on are rarities for Gaga.

Could Daisy Ridley be referring to the Cameron Diaz selfie on March 31, facilitated by Yahoo? The one where the whole world saw the funny-to-the-bone actress go without make-up to help publicize her new book on the positive side of aging. The 43-year-old former girlfriend of Justin Timberlake makes no mention of her former boy toy and their previous relationship. Still, it was refreshing to see famous people go sans any filter.

Inadvertently, it looks like Ridley is continuing a conversation started earlier by Gaga and Diaz. And here’s The Inquisitr jumping on the bandwagon after Us Magazine decided to bring in Rey, as her Star Wars fans avidly refer to her these days. Definitely, Daisy is a powerful force in the universe, not only because she portrays the role of a Jedi in the movie franchise that everyone loves to watch, except in China.

Daisy Ridley wants you to know she did NOT wake up like this: https://t.co/KxlxfPKCDl pic.twitter.com/S8vV6SUvze

— E! News (@enews) April 20, 2016

Daisy Ridley is also active and vocal in dealing with topics on social media that involve anything akin to peeling an onion. She is first to admit that she wasn’t born with a natural, clear skin like Cameron or Gaga.

“My skin isn’t great so I don’t post no make-up selfies, much as I’d like to. I have a trainer urging me on in workouts and don’t include all the times I say ‘I can’t do it’ and I don’t smile all the time but I like to share the pictures where I am.”

Oh poor, poor child. But clearly, the Star Wars actress isn’t really soliciting this kind of reaction. Just as in the movie franchise, Ridley likes the real world to see her as a struggling Galactic scavenger who doesn’t need anyone’s help to get by her day, except her gym trainer, of course.

With Lady Gaga, Cameron Diaz, and now Daisy Ridley entangled in an unplanned, unintended conversation basically centering on selfies, it’s time only for a brief moment to indulge the topic. A selfie is what it is, a selfish by-product and half-blood offspring of the Information Highway and social media. A selfie is opportunistic as it is spontaneous.

Anyone can snap a picture of himself or herself and parade it to the world’s attention. In its most natural, most unapologetic form, a selfie is meant to hitch one’s bandwagon to the stars. A perfect example is a roommate who snaps a shot beside Josh Groban after watching his concert, hoping that he could preserve the expensive encounter with a celebrity for posterity. Or a youth who snatches a photo opt with Pope Francis.

Clearly, what Ridley wants is to unmask a selfie for what it is, instead of covering it up with layers until it becomes virtually unrecognizable. She does admit having fun with selfies, herself.

Her take on what Diaz likes to call an ongoing conversation goes this way. There are three basic lies about selfies and these are that they are not “heavily filtered, overlaid with the caption, I woke up like this #nofilter #nomakeup.”

The truth hurts, especially when it comes from someone who plays the daughter of a Jedi.

“Social media is great but also a bit scary cause what people post is the most filtered, most carefully chosen and cleverly edited moments of their lives…And self esteem is a huge issue for people around the world.”

There you go, the truth about selfies. It is not to denigrate or demean selfies but rather to call a spade a spade. Unleashed, and thanks to Daisy Ridley for helping do that, Poems Ex on Facebook takes over the so-called ongoing conversation with the need for unabashed selfishness, which is a selfie in true form.

“Self love is so important. Because when you’re all alone and it’s 3 in the morning and you’re lying on the floor crying and shaking and wishing it all would end, who’s going to be there for you? You.”

[Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]