Porn face.

According to columnist Angela Mollard, it’s the newest trend when it comes to selfies.

We’ve had duck face, fish gape, fingermouthing, and, of course, the exceedingly popular but fundamentally bizarre Snapchat-filter-selfie.

My grandma would be so confused by this. Image via Instagram.

But now, apparently, it'sallabout porn face.

"Dull-eyed, mouth slightly parted, chin tilted back and with lips as plumped as a whoopee cushion," Mollard describes. "They look as empowered and appealing as a blow-up doll."

I hate that I know what she's talking about. And while Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Jennifer Lopez might be the most visible promoters of porn face, the trend certainly isn't limited to just celebrities.

I see it on my social media feeds everyday. Everyone's doing it. It's weird seeing photos of my good friends looking directly into a camera, mouth open and eyes wide.

It's so common, I even tried to do it once - but it ended up being one of those humiliating situations where you're embarrassed for yourself, onbehalf of yourself.

My face can't 'do' porn face. My lips aren't thick enough, my eyebrows are noticeably asymmetrical, and a neutral expression on me looks far more sinister than sexy.

But despite the fact that I am personally incapable of posting a porn face selfie, I'm viscerally uncomfortable with what Mollard, and indeed other people, are arguing.

Mollard essentially says women should "bring back the smile," and condescendingly describes women who take such selfies as "[making] them look like they’re trying to simulate an orgasm having taken a handful of Valium."

Gigi Hadid. Image via Instagram.

Sarah Vine for Daily Mail wrote an article with a similar tone, claiming that porn face says, "

"It’s as though the entire universe [is] having some sort of collective orgasm," she continues. "And it’s pathetic."

I'm torn.

On the one hand, I get that porn face in and of itself probably isn't "empowering."

But, to be honest, if we're looking for empowerment in intentionally flattering selfies, we're looking in the wrong place. Other people trying to look their best and then posting a photo of it to a public forum is never going to make you feel better about yourself.

It's a particularly fraught area for women - given that many of us are already deeply insecure about the way we look. Perfect photos of perfect women who look nothing like we do certainly doesn't help.

Post continues after gallery.

The 'porn face' trend in pop culture.

I also understand why non-millennial women look at these photos and roll their eyes.

It's...weird. Taking a selfie while you're trying to look sexy is weird. As are selfies in general. Social media is weird too. It'sallweird. What are any of us trying to do? I don't think anyone quite knows yet.

But, on the other hand, the harsh criticism of porn face makes me wonder why everyone is entitled to an opinion about what women do with their faces.

I've been told to smile on the street before (I'm sorry, male stranger, for the fact that I was deep in thought) and my reaction has gone something like this:

I'll do what I like with my face, thank you very much. Image via Giphy.

Mollard's argument that women should "smile more," is a really weak one that echoes what most of us have heard all our lives from men. I refuse to smile for anyone else's appeasement.

Ultimately, it's really problematic to mock women's behaviour and imply that every trend they partake in has malice behind it.

Women who pull porn face for a selfie likely aren't doing it to objectify themselves, or to consciously represent a male fantasy, or to undermine women. They're doing it because it's what everyone else is doing. And everyone else is doing it because women aretreatedlike objects. We'retreatedlike playthings who should always satisfy the male gaze.

Mollard makes fun of Gigi Hadid, but who co-hosted the American Music Awards yesterday? Kylie Jenner is perhaps the most frequent porn-facer, but she now runs a multi-million dollar makeup company because of it.

The truly disturbing thing about this whole conversation is that porn facepays off. Look at the thousands of comments on these types of selfies. Look at the careers these women forge, largely because of their porn-face-esque facial features rather than their character or their qualifications or their ideas.

So instead of making fun of the women who take part in this trend, we really need to be questioning why it pays off.

And it starts with the way we value women in the first place.