The rise of girl selfies (2026)

rise of selfies

when did we start to see half naked selfies of girls facing mirror?

(ai answer) 2026-02-13

The phenomenon you're describing — half-naked (or lingerie/bikini/underwear-level revealing) mirror selfies taken by girls/women, typically in bathrooms or bedrooms, facing the mirror to show off body/outfit/pose — really took off as a widespread, everyday social media thing in the mid-to-late 2000s, exploding further in the early 2010s.

Mirror selfies in general go way back (earliest known examples from around 1900 with box cameras, like an unidentified woman ~1900 or Grand Duchess Anastasia in 1913), but those were rare artistic or novelty shots, not casual/revealing ones shared online.

The modern version you're asking about ties directly to digital cameras + social platforms:

• Early-mid 2000s — This is when it started becoming noticeable and common among teens/young women. Flip phones and early digital cameras (2–5 megapixel ones) made it easy to snap full-body shots in a bathroom mirror (good lighting + large mirror). People shared them on MySpace (peak ~2005–2008), where "MySpace pics" often meant exactly those amateurish, flash-heavy, bathroom mirror self-portraits — frequently showing outfits, bodies, or underwear-level casualness. It was seen as a way to show off looks privately-yet-publicly.

• Late 2000s into ~2010–2013 — The trend went mainstream and more sexualized/explicit as Facebook took over, then Instagram launched (2010). Front-facing cameras improved (especially iPhone 4 in 2010), but mirror shots stayed popular for full-body views. By 2013–2015, you saw tons of lingerie/bikini/underwear mirror selfies flooding Instagram, often from influencers, models, or regular users seeking likes/validation. Bathroom ones became iconic for the bright lighting and privacy.

• 2010s peak — By mid-2010s, it was fully normalized/cultural staple: think Kim Kardashian-style posts, fitness girls, "thirst traps," etc. The half-naked versions (bra/underwear, topless-with-clever-crop, post-shower towel drops) became especially common around 2012–2017, tied to body-positivity, fitness culture, and attention economy on IG/Twitter.

In short: sporadic before, but we really started seeing them flood feeds and become "a thing" around 2005–2008 on MySpace/early camera phones, then massively amplified ~2010+ with smartphones + Instagram. The half-naked flavor ramped up noticeably in the early-to-mid 2010s as social media rewarded skin-revealing content.