Shameless selfies

Risking one’s life is not the best way to get attention; stunts should be left to the pros

Standing on a rooftop exposed to the elements or dangling off a skyscraper would seem reckless to most of us. But some Russian models have created a following by doing stunts like this to create viral social-media snaps. Angela Nikolau has been labelled the “world’s riskiest selfie-taker” for her high-altitude selfies in Shanghai and Bangkok, and recently, Viki Odintcova shared videos and photos of herself dangling off a 300-metre skyscraper in Dubai – seemingly without any safety equipment – holding on to a man’s hand.

These pictures certainly attract huge numbers of hits on social media. But the risk involved makes them highly questionable. Is fleeting social media fame really worth risking your life for? Does it set a good example for others? We’ve seen Tom Cruise swinging from the Burj Khalifa, but that was done with safety equipment in the context of an action film. It would be wiser for these women to leave these stunts to the professionals.