Mark your calendars for January 16th y'all, because the third anniversary of the Instagram selfie will require your full attention. Yes, dear readers, the first selfie ever to be uploaded to Instagram has been discovered, and it's, well, it's there.
On that fateful day, Jenn Lee extended her left arm, tilted the iPhone's camera towards her mug, snapped, slapped on a filter, tagged #selfie, and tapped share. A simple gesture with massive impact. Upon further investigation, it seems as though Ms. Lee toasted and posted her selfie (as in she used the Toaster filter — you can thank us later for that lil' catchphrase). She even seems to have employed #selfie rules 1, 3, and 4: alone, angle, and daylight.
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Thank you, Jenn Lee. Thanks to you, we have a new Oxford term and the catchphrase of the year. We'll be keeping you in mind come January 16th. In the meantime, let's celebrate 2013's official word by looking back at the most memorable (and sometimes controversial selfies) of the year. Jenn Lee's influence knows no bounds — even celebrity.
Photo: via @jennlee.
Michelle Obama
Hey, even the FLOTUS got in on the action.
Photo: via @michelleobama.
Photo: via @beyonce.
Nick Jonas
Um, hello there Nick Jonas, when did you become so, uh, manly?
Photo: via @nickjonas.
Rihanna
Rihanna and #selfies go together like peanut butter and jelly. This particular image sent two Slow Loris smugglers to jail.
Photo: via @badgalriri.
Kim Kardashian
Just in case anyone wanted to know, this was a public sext between Kardashian and Kanye West. This was her "middle finger" to the people who called her fat. This was her letting the world know she's still the same Kim K we've come to keep up with.
Photo: via @kimkardashian.
Photo: via @AmandaBynes.Amanda Bynes
Bynes never used Instagram, but watching her TwitPic #selfies evolve from casual to bizarre was as puzzling as it was heartbreaking.
Miley Cyrus
Ah, the days of the twerk. How we do not miss thee. Cyrus is no stranger to the Insta-art form, but this picture started the rumor that she was pregnant. She wasn't.
Photo: via @mileycyrus.
Anna Wintour
Alright, so this isn't a #selfie per se, but it was Anna Wintour's first and only appearance on Instagram. How the world is still spinning is beyond us.
Photo: via @voguemagazine.