Are you comfortable having your photo taken? I mean, really comfortable?

Last night at an impromptu drinks for a group of thirty-something friends, talk turned, perhaps inevitably, to the weekend’s rife selfie posting on Facebook. Women, just like us, sharing their #nomakeupselfies in the (possibly misguided) belief that it’s somehow helping the greater good.

But before we get bogged down in the quagmire of whether it is or isn’t empowering, or useful, or even just a bit exhibitionist, to be uploading all of these live to the internet, let’s consider the mechanics of actually being photographed.

Because, as women in or around our 30s, we grew up with nothing more intrusive than a (universally flattering) Polaroid camera waved in front of our noses. We’re known as ‘digital adopters’ in tech speak; that is, all this is learned, rather than natural, behaviour. And some of us are better learners than others.

When we were going through our ‘difficult phases’, there was no need or desire to constantly document our lives/purchases/make-up application methods on a constant stream via social media. We were chuffed if, when processed and collected after 3 days from Boots, there was at least one decent shot of us on a roll of 24. That might make us sound like the sad ones, but really it’s today’s teen that should be pitied. It’s relentless.

"as women in our 30s, we grew up with nothing more intrusive than a (universally flattering) Polaroid camera waved in front of our noses"

But there might well be a silver lining. Aside from the actual politics of whether the selfie is an anti-feminist construct that objectifies women, or just a harmless way to boost our self-confidence, what it might just have taught us is how to feel more comfortable about having our picture taken. In fact, wave an iPhone in front of a group of women right now and you’ll witness the coordinated movements of multiple chins tilting downwards and to the left with the grace of a synchronized swim team.

While many of us still have issues with having our photos taken, we are at least learning a few tricks about how to make the camera work for us. Maybe we have the selfie to thank for that. It’s not vanity, it’s physics.  If you’ve ever been on a shoot with a professional model you’ll know, deliberate posing is everything. There are no happy accidents: only good lighting and forgiving angles.

Even social media novices are getting the hang of selecting the most flattering Instagram filter for their skin type or, educated by the street style movement, learning that a cocked hip and downwards glance are a failsafe form of flattery.  We may not yet have perfected the art of creating the perfect picture, but the more we get in front of the camera, the more comfortable we feel about being photographed and that’s the sort of confidence boost that gives anyone a real-life Photoshop glow.