Click happy! The public life of a selfie-queen

Pia Balwanirsquos favourite spot to take a selfie is in her car on her way to work every morning Her makeup is fresh she has just washed her hair and likes the light that comes in through the window pane She tilts her head pouts ever so slightly and sits at an angle that makes her ldquolook thinrdquo And then she sets the filter to ldquochromerdquo on her iPhone and clicks Itrsquos a picture ready to be admired and uploaded on Snapchat Instagram and Facebook Itrsquos 10 am and the day has just begunShow me some love Hairstylist Pia Balwani takes a selfie with her mother at Churchgate salon PicAastha Atray BananBalwani who runs a salon at Churchgate clicks an average of seven selfies a day India is a country where the ldquoselfierdquo has acquired a dubious reputation mdash it had the highest number of selfie deaths till 2016 According to a Washington Post report out of 27 deaths across the world in 2015 half of them were in India But Balwani is an unabashed lover of the phenomenon ldquoIf I look good in selfie I am doing okay rightrdquoShe says she has mastered the art over the last three years She knows how to make herself look thin the collarbones appear prominent and the filters to use to compliment the contours of her faceItrsquos a skill that has empowered her to get over her consciousness about being plump Till a few years ago 26yearold Balwani would shy away from the camera Then one day she took a picture which she thought was half decent and put it up on Facebook ldquoSo many people liked that one It gave me a certain selfconfidencerdquo Since then she has started looking after herself too so thatrsquos she always looks perfect in a selfie ldquoAs a hairstylist you have to always be well turned out and I am and it shows in my photosrdquoThis means she always has her hair in whipready shape and her makeup is touched up through the day She loves taking selfies and also posing for pictures for her friends With 1600 followers on Instagram and almost the same on Sanpchat she has a lot of people looking out for her postsBalwani usually likes to take selfportraits at her salon as she works with her mom only when she is looking nice when she is about town partying with her friends Her favourite social networking app is Snapchat where she lets the world know what she is up to getting a drink hanging with her dachshund or working on a client Her favourite Snapchat celebrities and inspirations are the Kardashians especially Khloe ldquoWhat I like about them is that they are proud of their bodies If their behind is big they would still flaunt it Why I love the selfie is because it makes me feel happy about how I amrdquoThe Sindhi from Kolkata says her family treats her like a ldquoboyrdquo because she is outgoing and the life of the party ldquoMy father treats me like a son I have become this firebrand because my parents have supported me I donrsquot care about what people sayrdquo Though she loves her selfies she does think it may be a ldquodelusionalrdquo practice ldquoI look like someone else in them People often meet me and say lsquoOh you look so differentThatrsquos because it has a filter on and I have my best pout and best hair onrdquo What about all the people on the Internet who may pass judgment and think she is selfobsessed Balwani doesnrsquot wait a second before saying ldquoBut isnrsquot everyone I donrsquot think I am selfobsessed because I put up 10 pictures of myself I have learnt to love myself thanks to the selfie If you donrsquot love yourself how will others love yourdquo