Sophia Loren Disses Hollywood's New 'Selfie' Culture

Selfies aren't too safe, was the message given by the legendary movie star Sophia Loren, who tried to hit home some idea about plastic surgery to girls. She said that the selfie culture tended to emphasise young female actors' looks.

She slammed Hollywood for embracing "selfie" culture, and recalled her own experiences before she was honored at the Americans for the Arts National Arts Awards in New York City on Monday evening, according to Page Six.

"These young girls really need to be more careful and selective of what they are doing to their bodies and their faces," the 81-year-old film star told Page Six. "I mean, you do not know for sure if you are going to a good doctor...you can end up looking worse than what you thought you originally were."

She was honored with the Carolyn Clark Powers Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americans for the Arts National Arts Awards on Monday night, the Associated Press  reported.

"In my time, an actress' merit and skill was based on her talent," she mused. "Now when people meet me, they pull out their phones to take pictures. I do not know much about social media, but it seems that that's what makes people more famous. My era of Hollywood was much better, you were known for your skill and talent."

She advises young girls "to do the right things and not to take life easily, as sometimes the girls do because they don't have experience."

She added: "They need good mothers, good parents."

Still, the new technology makes her embrace the "new" in her life. "Well I think you have to get accustomed to the new things that come out and try to run after them and try to be always living in a world that belongs to you, even though you have to learn many things more," she explained.

The bright evening celebrities included the iconic singer Tony Bennett and pop star-turned-actress Lady Gaga.