My friend Tina and I went to a diner in Chicago the other day and before we left, she insisted, “come on, let’s take a selfie!”

Now I am no fan of my own photos. I am not a photogenic person, and haven’t been since about 1997. In fact, for years I used a bad photo of myself as my column mug so that when people I interviewed met me, they’d think/say, “Wow, you’re really cute!”

It was a self-esteem thing.

But who was I to break my friend’s heart? So I obliged. The first photo didn’t turn out fantastic, so I told her to tilt her iPhone up a bit. (a trick I learned from watching “Shahs of Sunset” on Bravo TV.)

*click*

Strangely, Tina’s photo of us empowered me. Tina looks fantastic, as always. I didn’t look horrible without makeup. My hair wasn’t scraggly. It actually looks like we were having a lot of fun – and we were!

So I continued taking more selfies during my trip to Milwaukee. Three, actually.

The Bradley Center, where the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks play, have a selfie booth on the concourse.

This afternoon on the Milwaukee River, I got creative. My first effort didn’t turn out so well. I sent it to my husband for laughs.

So I took the advice I gave Tina and held my BlackBerry up a little higher and at an angle. You can see its reflection on my sunglasses!