The sun is setting behind you, your hair is blowing in the breeze and somehow your last Snapchat sent to your best friend wasn't horrendous. Seems like a perfect time for a selfie.

As a teenager and as a young adult, I have been made fun of by my family and friends for taking selfies. They mean it teasingly, but it has always gotten me thinking: Why are selfies looked at in a negative light?

Why is openly loving yourself looked down upon?

Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, you name it, you have probably put a selfie on one of these social media sites. Selfies are looked down on as moments of narcissism, but there is something deeper happening when someone posts a picture of themselves for the world to see. Why would someone post a selfie other than to gain likes and attention? How can something so millennial have a deeper meaning?

My friends are gorgeous. I mean that. I love taking pictures with my friends and I also love supporting pictures that my friends take of themselves.

I don't believe that beauty is celebrated nearly as often as it should be. I have friends who are of all shapes and sizes. When they capture a moment where they feel at peace with themselves, I feel genuinely happy for them. I will immediately comment, like and share their picture with the world. They deserve to have that moment of self-acceptance and appreciate it. They deserve to be called beautiful when today's standards of beauty for men and women are so screwed up. When the world is beating you down with pictures of airbrushed abs and photoshopped makeup on models, finding a time to truly love and accept yourself is so important.

When a selfie is being taken, there is a moment of love happening. For a moment, someone stopped, looked at themselves and thought that they looked beautiful. Why wouldn't they want to document that?

Go ahead, take advantage of perfect lighting and pose for as many pictures as you want.

I will be in your corner proudly saying, "Wow, look at you! You are picture perfect."