Wide angles, elongated arms, forehead bulges, buggy eyes, and tiny bodies—have you been seeing photos on social media with these characteristics? If you have been keeping up with Instagram these days, then you’re probably familiar with this selfie trend that is widely popular among Gen Zs.
Teens are using it, celebrities are using it, and your friends are probably using it too. The 0.5 selfie, pronounced as “point five” or “zero point five” (not “half” selfie), is a picture taken using the rear ultra-wide angle lens of a smartphone camera.
The selfie trend got its name from the “0.5x” option available in the camera of the iPhone 12 Pro and above models. However, the trend is not exclusive to iPhone users, as some Android phones have ultra-wide lens features, such as the Samsung Galaxy S20 and Z Flip.
To take a 0.5 selfie, simply open the rear camera of your smartphone, turn on the ultra-wide lens feature, and stretch out your arms. The result will be a distorted and out-of-scale photo that has some similarities to the fisheye lens effect that became popular way back in 2015. For a more comical effect, you can hold your phone perpendicular to your forehead.
The selfie trend is popular among Gen Zs, with pop stars like Olivia Rodrigo and local influencers like Ashley Garcia, Toni Sia, and Rei Germar using it.
The appeal of this unconventional style of photography can be linked to the current generation’s affinity for taking themselves a little less seriously and living authentically, opting for a more casual, candid, and unfiltered way of documenting their lives on social media—take into consideration the trends on “finstas” (private Instagram accounts), crying selfies, and photo dumps.
In a way, the 0.5 selfie is the antithesis of the poised, staged, heavily edited, and well-curated photos that have been popular on Instagram.
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/oliviarodrigo/
