A lot of people - older folks, especially - often have nothing but negative things to say about selfies. They're commonly perceived as vain, narcissistic, and, ultimately, useless. But, as one woman in the UK has proven, sometimes they're anything but that.
Cloe Jordan, a 22-year-old salesperson from Wolverhampton, took to Instagram in order to share a picture of herself post-surgery after having a cancerous mole removed from her stomach. "I wasn't going to post anything on social media but seeing my scars today has really brought it home," she wrote. "I was diagnosed with skin cancer a few months ago and have undergone an operation to try and remove it."
Then, in an interview with HuffPost, she revealed that she would never have gone to the doctors about her mole if it had not been for the numerous bikini selfies she enjoyed taking.
"I had no idea my mole has turned cancerous, I’d had it all my life," she said.
"I loved going on holiday and being tanned, and although I didn’t regularly go on sunbeds, I did go through a period of going on once or twice per month.
"I’d had the mole on my stomach since I was born and when it started to change shape last summer, I didn’t take much notice. But I had hated it for some time and every time I wore a bikini or nice underwear and took a selfie, I felt it was getting in the way.
"That’s why I decided to go to the doctors and get it removed."
At that point, though, Jordan had no idea about the severity of her situation.
"After being referred to see if I was eligible to have it taken off by the NHS, I was swarmed by around eight doctors who looked concerned after seeing it," she explained. "It was then that a biopsy was taken and I was diagnosed with skin cancer."
When she first got the news, the young woman didn't tell anyone other than her close family. She was terrified by it, and hated the thought of how sick she could potentially get because of one little mole. However, after a while, she decided to speak up about what had happened, as she herself did not know the dangers of some of the things that she had been doing which had led to the cancer developing.
"I decided to post a photo of my scar because it wasn’t until after my surgery that it really hit home what I’d been through," she said. "I knew that if by sharing my experiences and it stopped one person going on sunbeds it would be worthwhile. I will never lay in the sun again and would much rather stick to a bottle of fake tan or have a spray tan than damage my skin."
Speaking of her experience, Jordan said: "I felt numb, I never imagined to get something so serious while being young but I’m so thankful it was getting in the way of my bikini selfies now, as it has definitely saved my life."
So remember - spending long periods in the sun or using tanning beds can be potentially fatal in the long term. Selfies, on the other hand, seem to be doing some people a world of good.
