Did Paris Hilton take the first selfie ever? Here's with whom she took the photo as she marks its 18th anniversary

Paris Hilton commemorates the 18th anniversary of the day that she and Britney Spears invented the selfie: ‘icons only.’ Hilton has long claimed to have taken the first selfie.

In 2006, Paris Hilton posted some adorable pictures of herself and her friend Britney Spears. The reality star wanted everyone to know that these weren't your typical selfies.

The 43-year-old posted the three happy pictures with the caption that she invented the selfie with Britney Spears 18 years ago today. And “#IconsOnly,” she added, as quoted in a report by the People.


Spears, 42, is dressed in a white button-down shirt in the photos, while Hilton is dressed in a grey tank top and black headband. Two of the photos show the pair grinning normally, but the final one shows them making a little duck face.

Hilton previously stated that she and Spears invented the selfie. She also wrote about it in November of last year. She also wrote on X that she pioneered the selfie in the 2000s.

In a 2017 interview with W Magazine, Hilton explained why she claimed ownership of the selfie. If a beeper had a camera, she would have taken selfies with it, she joked during the interview.

However, the Library of Congress believes that Robert Cornelius took the 'first selfie' in his front garden in 1839. It's amazing to take a portrait in 1839, said Rachel Wetzel of the Conservation Division of the Library. The next step up from that is to take a self-portrait. That is a very important portrait.

The Oxford Dictionary states that the word selfie was first used in the early 2000s and was formally added in 2013. According to Kotaku, the first selfie stick was made by a Japanese company before the term was even created.

The Hilton-Spears photos remain an early instance of the phenomenon that would eventually take over social media feeds worldwide due to the proliferation of front-facing camera phones.

In her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, Spears reflected on her friendship with Hilton and thanked her for her years of friendship. Hilton expressed her pride in Spears for telling her story in her memoir, Paris: The Memoir, and the healing experience it has brought her.

FAQs:

Did Paris Hilton and Britney Spears invent selfies?
Paris humorously claims to have done so in 2006, sharing iconic photos. The first selfie was taken in 1839, but Hilton and Spears helped to popularise the practice.

What has Britney Spears said about her friendship with Paris Hilton?
Britney wrote in her memoir, The Woman in Me, that their friendship was less wild than the media made it out to be, and she thanked Paris for her support.