Last week, Susan Sarandon posted a selfie of herself with Geena Davis, her Thelma and Louise co-star. She wrote, "Inventors of the #selfie at it again. #ThelmaAndLouise." The photo recreated the unforgettable snapshot that the two actresses take of themselves in the Oscar-winning 1991 buddy film. (Incidentally, Thelma and Louise wasn't just a masterpiece. It also helped ignite the career of one of the supporting actors in the film -- a guy named Brad Pitt.)
And so it appears that the selfie isn't entirely a new invention. It's just that these days, they are such powerful tools of communication. With one simple snapshot, the selfie is a unique way to be intimate with a celebrity or get a glimpse into their life. The star can tell a story or send a very personal message like no other. As James Franco -- who has been called "the selfie king" -- wrote in The New York Times this past December, "Selfies are avatars: Mini-Me's that we send out to give others a sense of who we are... I am actually turned off when I look at an account and don't see any selfies, because I want to know whom I'm dealing with. In our age of social networking, the selfie is the new way to look someone right in the eye and say, 'Hello, this is me.'"
To honor the trailblazing Sarandon and Davis, check out these memorable celebrity selfies in this Parade story.