It’s Only Acceptable To Use A Selfie Stick Under These Circumstances

Love it or hate it, the selfie as an artform is here to stay. As mobile cameras have continued to increase in quality, an increasing number of people have started opening up to the idea that a selfie is a completely acceptable form of self expression. With that being said — what in the heck is up with the selfie stick (AKA the “Stupid Stick”)?

No, we didn’t make that up. Another name for the item is also an insult to the user. Most of the time, someone using a selfie stick will be mocked by complete strangers. However, there are some times in life and in history when using a selfie stick is not only acceptable, it’s actually encouraged. Here are 20 times when using a selfie stick was actually considered acceptable.

The Cute Sloth Selfie

Andrew Bloch, the founder and group managing director of Frank PR, took this viral selfie stick photo and it’s immediately obvious why it became so popular. He used a giant selfie stick to grab a photo with a sloth that was living high in a tree. “The only reason one should own a selfie stick,” an Imgur user commented, and we couldn’t agree with them more.

Life Saved

If 16-year-old Erynn Johns hadn’t been carrying a selfie stick at the beach she would probably be dead right now. She was swimming with her parents on Nantucket when she and her father were grabbed by a riptide. The current pulled them under the water while she and her dad held onto the selfie stick, but her father later lost his grip. A good Samaritan saw the commotion and was able to rescue both the father and Erryn, who was still gripping her selfie stick.

When You’re Replacing Deadly Weapons With Selfie Sticks

This is a fun viral craze. A handful of graphic designers have been replacing guns in famous movie scenes with selfie sticks. The Terminator doesn’t look so dangerous when he is driving around on his motorcycle taking selfies. That’s a lie — I still wouldn’t mess with him.

When Getting The Perfect Shot Would Otherwise Be Impossible

You are not going to find too many people to take the perfect photo of your descent towards earth after jumping out of a plane. The selfie stick allows for perfect alignment, and the skydiver can get much closer to their subject if they are taking the picture on their own. Plus, this selfie gives a nice wide-angle view of the skydiver and the ground they are dangerously hurtling toward.

Surfing and Action Shots In Single Person Sports

You can get a decent video from inside a wave, but not everyone has a specialist who can following in front of them as they surf. With a selfie stick you can get up-close and personal with a GoPro. We fully endorse the use of selfie sticks when they can capture unique angles like this.

On Top Of A Building

How do you get a photo of yourself on the very top of a building if you can’t position anyone above your location? A selfie stick is the perfect tool for the many daredevils who are scaling buildings and radio towers all over the world. It’s probably not smart to stand on the top of a tower while holding your phone, but if you must get the perfect photo, this is the best way to do it. If you have the cash you can also have a friend fly above you with a drone, which is probably a better idea.

When You Run Into a Quokka

Allan Dixon is an expert when it comes to taking animal selfies! It started as a fun hobby and eventually turned into a skill that he has shared with many fans and many animals. His selfie stick and smartphone have followed him to such locations as Iceland, Ireland, the United States, and Australia. He has more than 270,000 followers on Instagram and we promise they don’t care that he’s using a stupid stick.

When You Have Ellen Degeneres’ Friends

Perhaps the most famous selfie of all time was taken without a selfie stick, but you can see that backing out just slightly would have provided for a less crowded photo. Ellen could have even added more celebrity friends into the famous picture. If you have Ellen type friends you should be sharing as many selfie stick wide angle shots as possible.

When Turning Around Could Literally Get You Killed

A young daredevil named Christian decided to record himself while being chased by bulls in Baytown, Texas. The selfie was taken during the Great Bull Run at Royal Purple Raceway on January 25, 2014. If you want a great shot as you are being chased by an animal, this is a lot smarter than turning around and slowing down to meet the animal face to face.

When You’re Documenting The Plane Crash You Just Survived

If you’re going to crash your plane into any body of water you better take at least one selfie. Not only does this pic show that this guy is crazy calm after crashing his plane and nearly dying, it could also help investigators figure out exactly what went wrong. Always take a selfie if you know you are in an incredibly unique position.

When You’re All Alone In Space

This is not an easy selfie to take. First, you have to graduate with a Master’s or PhD in mathematics, science, computer science, or some other related higher degree that is sought out by NASA. Second, you have to be selected as an astronaut. Third, you have to actually be sent to space, and fourth, you have to be the guy or girl who wins the right to go on an honest-to-goodness space walk. This is the type of selfie that only a handful of people will ever have the opportunity to take.

When You Realize It Can Do More Than Take A Photo

It’s completely acceptable to use a selfie stick to watch your favorite TV shows, YouTube clips, and other video options found on your mobile device. This user doesn’t need a TV when they have a selfie stick and a smartphone. Given the number of cord-cutters who are now consuming video in new and exciting ways, this is actually not a horrible idea.

When You’re The POTUS And Have Access To The White House

When you are the President of the United States you can take all the selfies you want. It’s especially cool if those selfies are taken in the White House or some other restricted area that most people would never be given access to photograph. We are still waiting for President Obama to post an Area 51 selfie stick photo with lots of details in the background.

Just Flying Around

Sticking your arm outside of a single-seater plane or glider so you can take a photo? Please do! If you’re willing to go to extreme lengths to take a photo like this, then you deserve the right to use a selfie stick without being mocked. It’s an incredibly unique photograph that most people would be afraid to take.

When You’re Hanging Out With The King Of The Jungle — Obviously

Taking a selfie with animals is all the rage at the moment. Taking a selfie with a lion is definitely an envied moment for people involved this photo movement. This guy cuddled up to the king of the jungle and took one of the most fascinating (and scary!) selfies we have ever seen.

When You Don’t Dare Get In Front Of The Subject

Shark selfies have been listed by several safety groups as the most dangerous type of selfie. You probably don’t want to have your arm extended out when treading water in front of a shark. With a selfie stick, however, you can get beside or behind a shark and still include the deadly animal in your photo, along with your own body. While you possibly CAN do this, you probably SHOULDN’T.

The Guy Who Totally Missed The Point

If you can’t figure out how to use the selfie stick you should probably ditch it. But he made us laugh when we saw his approach to the STUPID stick (emphasis is definitely ours). It’s funny if not totally misguided. Anytime you can make a bunch of people laugh with a selfie stick, that’s a big win.

When You Want To Catch A Camel In The Act

If a camel is going to attempt to eat your head, the least you can do is capture its naughty deed on camera. Animal selfies are one of the only truly acceptable reasons to use a selfie stick because they end up with hilarious results — probably because the animals are looking at the stupid human who has a smartphone attached to a stick.

‘Christ the Redeemer”’ Statue in Rio De Janeiro

The popular Jesus statue in Rio De Janeiro has an access panel in the arm where thrill-seeking tourists can grab an amazing photo. If you really want to show the scope of the statue and your position to the arm, a selfie stick is a must. This is a good example of how you can actually take some amazing and unique photos with a selfie stick.

When A Phone Or Tablet Isn’t Enough

A moment of truth — this is absolutely absurd. It can’t be comfortable to hold a relatively heavy MacBook for more than a few seconds at a time. These days a smartphone is a very capable device with a decent camera. If you want to shoot directly to your MacBook this might not be a bad option, but I would hit the gym before you shoot for more than 30 seconds at a time.

Yes, selfie sticks are absurd in so many ways but when used properly there are actually some types of shots in certain circumstances that can produce amazing and unique results. To those people who have figured out how NOT to look stupid with a selfish stick, we salute you.