Posing in church bathrooms, before coffins and next to hearses, teenagers have been posting enough self-portraits taken at funerals to compile into a blog.

The Tumblr Selfies at Funerals documents a bizarre social phenomenon that tangles solemn occasions with contrived poses and fashion comments. Teens post pictures of themselves dressed in suits or black dresses, sometimes pouting, sometimes, oddly, smiling, and then they tack on hashtags such as #funeral or #funeralselfie.

Funeral Day! Gonna be a tough one, R.I.P Grandma Lilla #funeralselfie http://t.co/qldogO7h — Anton Bennett (@AntonCBennett) June 13, 2012

Nothing like a couple duck faces for your cousin's funeral... #funeralselfie series, part uno pic.twitter.com/UfD2VNlkWN — Erica St. James (@Eeestjames) September 3, 2013

They might add a comment about being all dressed up, or a self-aware mention about their awkward behaviour, but awareness, it seems, isn't enough to resist sharing.

[ Related: Facebook and Twitter are magnets for narcissists ]

A senior editor at Fast Company, Jason Feifer, created the Selfies at Funerals Tumblr after observing the trend. The Atlantic compiled the blog's curated posts with poetic musings about death from the likes of W.H. Auden and Jorges Luis Borges. It really brings out the contrast.

Are funeral selfies in horribly poor taste, or are they simply a new generation's way of dealing with tough occasions?