Why Mugshot Selfies Suck

Let’s be honest: We’ve all had a little too much time on our hands. We don’t know about you, but we’ve spent too many hours scrolling through Tik Tok (whipped coffee is harder than it looks). While we’ve admittedly stayed up at 2 a.m. trying to learn the dances, bleached a sweatshirt or two, and constantly send our friends Tik Toks about how we wish we were blacked out at school, there’s one Tik Tok trend we simply cannot get behind: the “mugshot selfie.”

You may have seen an Instagram photo of James Charles, the popular beauty influencer/Youtuber, with a bloody nose, smeared makeup and bruises drawn on his face. His “mugshot selfie,” along with many other social influencers and annoying teen girls on Tik Tok, has gone viral. While we can all laugh at the occasional celebrity mugshot, this trend is very problematic. Most of the people on Tik Tok who do this trend are white suburban kids who are so far removed from crime and actual danger. This trend makes light of a real struggle. If not rude and ignorant, it’s still pretty corny.

This little mugshot “aesthetic” represents a real struggle for a part of the population who are trapped and continually roped into the prison system. Additionally, painting fake bruises and blood on your face for a trend can be triggering for victims of abuse.

Honestly, most of these people would not look that good for their mugshot. It’s not even realistic. Drawing fake bruises is not funny or quirky, sorry guys. In response to the criticism, some people might say, “hey, they’re just having a little fun,” BUT there are so many actually funny trends that don’t involve downplaying the severity of assault and discrimination.

Let’s just stick to the dancing, beauty and humor on Tik Tok we all love. Basically, anything other than this. Let this serve as a reminder to think before you post, even if you assume it’s harmless. With that being said, happy renegading, Jerks!