Britney Spears and Paris Hilton Didn’t Invent the Selfie
The Claim
Celebrities Paris Hilton and Britney Spears invented the selfie.
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Emerging story
On June 21, 2021 – National Selfie Day – Paris Hilton retweeted a photo of her and Britney Spears with the caption “Me & Britney invented the selfie!”
Social media users shared the post, with some agreeing with and others contesting the claim.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation found that the world’s first selfie, or self-taken photograph, is actually attributed to Robert Cornelius, who in 1839 took a photo of himself by setting up his camera and running into the frame.
The first known selfie using a camera in-frame was taken by Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia in 1913.
The first known publication of the term “selfie” was in 2002, when Nathan Hope posted a photo of his busted lip. Although he is often attributed with creating the term, he said that it was already common slang at the time.
Paris Hilton and Britney Spears did not invent the selfie, although they certainly did popularize it.
