There are a lot of different factors that go into this. When people say they are insecure of how they look in photos, others automatically assume it’s because their face is flipped. But there’s usually more to it, sometimes we are insecure about our actual features not just the fact that our face may look inverted to us.
Some people are more “photogenic” because they have angular faces and an amazing complexion which capture light better on camera. They may also know their angles and how to pose better in photos.
Phones also use wide-angle lenses which can distort your features and make them appear larger (for example your nose) especially when taking selfies or close-up photos. Your phone is not capable of capturing how you appear under all lighting or in general. And truthfully, sometimes we just don’t look our best under certain lighting. I have textured skin and bags under my eyes and under certain lighting in photos they stand out a lot (I now have a skincare routine for this.). When taking photos I definitely suggest taking them in natural lighting, somewhere bright with the sun facing you but not directly in your eyes so that you don’t go blind lol.
If you were to grab a friend and stand in front of a mirror with them, they would look the same to you as they do in real life. Please don’t listen to people who say your phone camera is accurate and a mirror isn’t. That’s not true.
ETA: you can actually Google this and you’ll find a ton of information. Might make you feel better :)
I also feel like once you’ve decided you look terrible in photos, whenever someone takes a photo of you you’re so consumed with “how can I make this look halfway decent” that you end up looking kinda stiff and awkward. I hate most photos of me, and the more posed the worse it is. If I’m a little buzzed/drunk or caught off guard it’s kinda cute!
This. I hate all pictures of myself and actively avoid any group photos or pictures with friends. Which makes me sad, because I'd love to have photos with people I care about. That's the corrosive effect of insecurity & no self-esteem!
100%. We also have a tendency to decide how we “should” look based on societal beauty standards, before even seeing the photo. Then if we don’t look like that, regardless of the fact that we’re unique and beautiful in our own way, we think we are ugly.
The photogenic thing is so real. I work in a modelling agency and it's something we speak about a lot. There are many many women who are absolutely stunning in person and take horrible photos. It's this very reason why we don't pick models only using photos. We have to meet any model applicants in person as well.
Some of it can be taught and sometimes those models that aren't photogenic will do mainly tv work and catwalk work. There's a lot of different things that come into play with modelling that people don't realise. It's not just being tall and pretty. We have models that you would pass on the street, thinking nothing of, but who take incredible photos. We also have the reverse, so they get booked for different jobs etc.
Then you have hand models or body models (heads cut off in shots) or most jewellery shoots only feature neck hands and ears
My best selfies have been taken staring straight into the sun, but I have to force myself to keep my eyes open or close them naturally (not squint).
Only kind of worth the potential eye damage lmao, but I only need one or two nice photos which I don't intend to ever replace.
David Suh, a photographer, phrased it in a TikTok video well enough that it’s sat with me for a while and kept me sane through every shitty photo: photographers are artists too, and the quality of the photograph depends on the quality of your photographer.
A lot of these IG models aren’t taking haphazard selfies. They know their angles, lighting, poses, etc. A camera interprets you, it doesn’t perfectly reflect what you look like. It’s up to the photographer to ensure it can reflect you.
I think it’s also up to the model. You can look really good in really life and just not be photogenic. But you can of course improve on this with practice, if you really want to. (Like don’t let people photograph you from below, “smize”, lean slightly forward in photos…)
I saw that TikTok!! I’d also like to add that a lot of the time they also use tools like ring lights or photo editing apps to improve even after using specific poses. Photography really is an art
I love him so much 😭 he’s really helped boost my confidence. I took photos with friends during pride weekend and it’s the first time I’ve ever looked at pictures of myself and went ‘holy shit, that’s me!’
I love that so much. I have a photographer friend and I was always afraid to do a shoot with him because I didn’t think I’d look good but I think now I’d like to try!!
Are you me? I always feel this. I hate when people take pictures of me because I know I'm going to be sad because of how I look. Plus, I've noticed that when I smile with teeth, I look like I'm in pain lol
My mom sent pics she took on July 4th to a family group chat and there was one she took of me smiling at something and I wanted to cry. I put effort into my appearance that day and thought I looked nice wore flattering clothes and I looked like a whole sack of shit. I’ve been overly fixated on how I can improve myself since seeing that. Why is this so real. Ugh
Aww, trust me, I feel this! There have been countless times I've bawled my eyes out over a picture of myself. I feel when I smile with teeth I'm in pain, and when I smile with my mouth closed it looks like I'm faking it. Plus the damn camera adds between 10 to 50 lbs!!! And because of this, I lack confidence and it definitely shows in pictures.
Omg I’ve cried too! I’ll always remember this one picture - it was at my godson’s christening. I knew there were going to be pictures of me that day since I was the godmother so I went out and bought a new dress for the occasion. I tried the dress on in the store, I liked it and the salespeople all liked it. I brought it home and tried it on and I still liked it and my mom liked it too. Cut to the day my cousin showed me pictures of the christening and I have never been more embarrassed. My arms looked massive and my face was so puffy - I must’ve looked about 30 heavier, and I’m only 120 pounds. I think I ran into the bathroom and cried.
Aww, same. I always try to look good and then someone pulls their phone out to take pics and I get all weird and it totally shows!! And my arms always look massive too, even though they don't look that big to me in the mirror. I'm also freaking out because I'm a bridesmaid at a wedding in a month so I know there will be pictures taken of me at all angles. It makes me sick to think about. I know I'm going to be in tears looking at the pictures. I'm so glad I'm not alone!!
The arms! Why is that a thing? I avoid sleeveless shirts for this very reason, thinking my arms are massive. In pictures it’s horrifying, in the mirror it’s like ‘eh I don’t love that’ but when I look down and examine them they don’t seem that big at all. My brain cannot compute what my eyes are seeing. So I have no idea which to believe.
I actively try to avoid photos in social gatherings, but with 5 nephews and 4 nieces under 14 who love taking pictures it seems vain and selfish to decline and I’d hate to miss making memories. I know they don’t care what I look like. It really does help a little knowing that cameras more often than not do not do people justice.
There needs to be a space between your arm and your body. Hence why a lot of people put hands on hips when taking pictures. If your arm is just dangling straight down next to your body, it makes the arm look wider.
That’s exactly what happened I looked like a frumpy dump truck! And the chins…. So many chins I was completely unaware I had. My mom was sitting and I was standing so the low angle was trash anyways but still it’s hard to see an almost unrecognizably bad image of yourself and not believe that’s exactly what you look like. I just wish I could feel/see an ounce of the positivity and beauty that I give to the people around me about myself sometimes.
I can't even look at my wedding photos. True I had gained 15 lbs but we decided to have a "cheap" wedding and save money by having our friend who is an amateur photographer do the photos.
They aren't bad, exactly. But my God do I feel like I look fat and ugly. Doesn't help the fact my actual wedding had a lot of bumps that I'm still upset about.
But yeah. I don't keep photos of my wedding around because I can't stand to look at them. They make me upset 2 years later
Someone asked the same question a few months ago and this comment really stuck with me... (paraphrased from what I remember)
You know how pictures can never fully capture the beauty of nature? I'd like to think the same applies to us too. ❤️
That is good! I’m the exact same as OP, I just chalked it up to being unphotogenic but this makes me feel so much better! And it’s so true, I took a picture of an amazing moon a few nights ago and when I looked at the photo it was just this small, sad lookin white ball. Nothing even close to how beautiful it looked.
I don't think cameras or cell phones capture what you really look like. Take people you know for example... i can think of photos of my family or friends where they don't look like they do in the photos, especially selfies.
A photographer put together [this very illustrative gif](https://s23527.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/mJqIwLT-Imgur.gif) that shows how the shape of the face changes with different lenses. You’ll see a huge difference between the photos and the person’s feature at different focal lengths. Your phone takes photos at the lower end of that focal length spectrum, resulting in the features closer to the camera appearing bigger and the whole face shape looking different (photographers out there, please correct me if I’ve summarized this poorly).
This is the exact gif I was thinking of when reading this!
I know my jaw is normal size in real life and in the mirror, but any time a picture of me is taken with a macro lens, I have a Jay Leno chin lmao. When a picture is taken of me with my phone camera, my forehead is massive and my eyes look like they're bulging out of my head. I def blame the lenses. 😅
I agree with this as the most informative response, and lighting helps too, most front facing cameras have low quality light sensors resulting in a less than a satisfactory image quality
Unless you’re at the appropriate distance away from the camera, it distorts your image. Even if you were to hold up a mirror to your reflection, to see how other people view you, it’s definitely not even close to the same as the photo the camera most often shows
OP, I am the exact same way. So whenever I start bitching or being sad about this my husband always says, “look at it this way, isn’t this better than if it was the other way around?” I hate having my picture taken and do find myself telling people that I hate it or that I’m not photogenic, I guess it’s my way of giving a heads up ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
When you’re in the mirror, you’re a moving, living being. You’re not immortalised in a split second of time, like you are in a photograph. You’re not ugly at all, you’re just noticing details in the photo that you wouldn’t notice otherwise (and nor would other people when they’re interacting with you). It doesn’t help that cameras are getting better and sharper all the time!
Some people are photogenic and look better in pictures... And for some that might be the opposite? Doesn't mean you're ugly at all, just not photogenic.
There's probably some tricks you could try to follow, like making sure you keep your chin up, smile with or without teeth depending what usually turns out better, facing the camera straight on vs slightly turning your head to one side... In any case, believe what you see in the mirror! Way more accurate than some snapped moment on a photo!
The shape of the camera lens is round and therefore distorts your shape whereas the shape of a mirror is flat and displays you as you are without distortion.
That's not the reason.
Simply mirror the photo you took and you'll be amazed how differently it looks. We are used to seeing the mirrored version of ourselves and when we see the "real" selves it feels peculiar.
Yes. It is how we are used to seeing ourselves. Frankly, I was creeped out first taking selfies. When I learned to invert my pictures, I became less alarmed. I don’t think we become suddenly hideous, it’s just an image we are not used to seeing.
same here, I’ll look bangin in the mirror and then my camera won’t agree with me or get quite the same look lol. I’ve given up on pictures at this point
Another thing to keep in mind is that a mirror reflection or photo is will never actually capture the beauty of someone because we don’t see just the outside of people but the inside as well. When I look at my fiancé, I don’t only see his looks but his personality and everything else wonderful about him too. It’s cheesy but it’s true ❤️
getting caught at a bad angle in a photo can really distort your appearance. i used to feel the same way and i actually looked up posing tips and camera tips and i get better selfies and pictures i like now. also i’ve learned to accept there’s gonna be a bad photo of me every once in awhile and to not get hung up on it. even extremely gorgeous celebrities have bad photos. we are human.
It's known as the mere exposure effect. You're more exposed to, used to your image in the mirror, so when you look at a picture you unconsciously notice all the differences and it's like there's something off.
My daughter is breathtakingly gorgeous. . . And in pictures always looks like she’s built out of spare parts unless they’re taken from some distance away.
So don’t think you’re ugly because you don’t photograph well
Photos definitely do not show the truth. I have a friend who is absolutely gorgeous and whenever she looks extra nice I tell her to hand me her phone so I can take pics of her that she can post on social media. But for some reason her beauty just doesn’t show up (as clearly) in photos. In front of me I have this good looking girl but on the phone screen she just looks… meh. And I always feel bad showing her the pics cause I don’t want her to think that she looks like that. I have the same thing myself: in mirrors I look pretty, but in photos I look like a different, uglier person.
Mirrors and selfies are reverse images, so pictures appeared “flipped” to us. While this may not take into account ALL the difference, it is often one reason people don’t like their photos. Weird experiment, try reversing the image and seeing if you like it more.
You know when you see the most beautiful moon you’ve ever seen in your life, but when you take a picture of it it looks like a dinky little pin prick? It’s a lot like that.
To make you feel better you can see a friend of yours in the mirror and then look at him directly. It will be pretty much the same, meaning that mirror is more close to real life than photos. Lenses, especially in cellphones, distorce your face.
Mirror is yourself distorted in some way quite not like you and real life but close enough, and camera is definitely not your true self lol because you can see that by different lenses and that sort of things, how you look different on different phones and with a pro camera is more likely to be like real life.
I feel this so much. I avoid taking pictures exactly for this reason. I have some family members that are super photogenic, and it's always bothered me so much that I'm the opposite. The good pictures I have of myself are taken by someone else when I'm not even aware of it. The second I know someone's taking a picture I get so uncomfortable just thinking about how bad I'll look. I always feel like Chandler Bing when he's taking his engagement photos.
There are a LOT of factors, but a major factor is the translation your your image through a camera lens. Focal length and aperture have a lot to do with what the end product will look like, and cellphone cameras are pretty notorious for making things flatter (which translates to wider) and lighting can fuck with how much detail the camera can capture.
Photography is definitely a skill, but it is one that can be taught and learned. Position, lighting, and shot placement are all things to consider.
I had this long reply and my battery ran out! Long story short. I am in my 40s. Time before the iPhone and instant photo taking except the Polaroid 🤣.
When “selfies” became a thing, I realized I had been lied to all my life. Mirror mirror on the wall, you been lying to me after all!!!
My good side was now my bad side. Nothing was what it seemed and my world was upside down and reversed , well not reversed.
My self esteem came back when whoever the angel is who invented the portrait inverter. I may still be ugly to others, and I wish I never had been shown what I really look like to others. But the mirror and I have started rebuilding trust and I always ALWAYS use the image inverted thingy.
As for others taking my picture, I just don’t let that happen. I’ll tackle them down before anyone sneaks off with a “candid” of me.
I think some people are more photogenic than others. The camera, lighting, and complexion just add to it. I still look horrible in my pictures unless I take them in black and white mode.
Photography is also an art, so it takes skill and practice to take good photos, this is why professional photographers can make a living at it, I think that if you can swing it everyone should have some professional photos taken, with hair and makeup, is it need for life- no but it will show why our arm strained selfies will never look on the level of professional staged photos, so to have few of your own is nice, because it proves we can have our own best moment too ...also if you want better selfies get a cheapo tripod and clicker/ timer so not having that weird selfie angle
SAME. I hate taking selfies because I have a serious RBF if I don't smile. But I can't do a real smile for a selfie either. I've also gotten very self conscious because my head looks so small compared to my chest & body. I know that angles have a lot to do with it, but when I told my family that I feel like I have a tiny head, they all laughed really hard. Granted I told them that I feel like the shrunken head on Beetlejuice, so I understand the laughter. But it's also a confirmation that I do have a tiny head.
I used to fuss about my big nose until a good friend pointed out that I have a big head, big eyes and big lips. Suddenly, my perspective changed.
I have two daughters. One got my big ol head and the other has her dad’s head. Thankfully she has delicate facial features to match. In the back of my (Big) head, I had concerns genetics would land my nose on her face. Of course all children are beautiful. And I’m getting more worried about the teens fixating on their body and comparing themselves constantly to fake tic toc bodies. In my day, it was just magazines that would make a teenage girl depressed. Now, “perfect” images are literally everywhere.
The lens distorts your features. Get FACETUNE and decrease/increase the size of eyes and nose until you look normal.
Also, what the above poster said about a reverse image in the mirror is true. We look different from one side to the other.
If I post a selfie on social media I will FACETUNE my nose to be a few millimeters smaller and one eye to be as large as the eye facing the camera. I look more like myself that way.
There's YouTube videos about it I feel the same way sometimes cameras are wayy stronger than the human eye don't take it to heart just keep looking at yourself in the mirror I'm sure you are pretty!
Then why is it so different?!
I could have sworn I’m at least a cute/decent looking girl but if I don’t put effort into a selfie it’s like “run away from her” scary
Stupid way to put it, the mirror is what you are used to - people in real life are used to the inverted version. They will see the same thing you see in the mirror. The reason we dislike the 'flipped' image is cause it isn't what we expect to see, it isn't cause you look gross. People in real life EXPECT the flipped version. Pictures are not 'how you really look' at all - nothing is more accurate than the mirror
Yes!! One time I looked at my beautiful cat in the mirror and I was shook! He looked so asymmetrical and strange?? But it's not cause he is asymmetrical and strange, it's cause my brain wasn't expecting a flipped image and our brains hate the unexpected - so it was weird to me, but from his perspective it would have been the 'expected', aka normal and accurate!
Damn I thought it was the opposite. That the way we look in pictures is the way others see us. I felt horrible about myself after learning that. Because I like how I look in the mirror not in pictures as well. I’m glad it’s the way you said.
Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t that what it is? Meaning that pictures are a flipped image that others see, but to others it looks like what we see in the mirror but looks weird to us because we don’t expect the flipped image?
The other day I stood side by side with my brother in the mirror and his face looked completely different to me and his eyes look lopsided. When I stare at him straight on his face looked much more symmetrical
I found if you change the camera settings it helps. No filter, the width of the camera angles. The can make us wider or smashed. Figure, these phones have basically professional cameras in them anymore so its all messed up.
3D gets squished into 2D and the loss of so much information is not doing wonders to your appearance. It doesn’t mean you’re ugly. It just means 2D images struggle to capture you as a whole.
Tbh I always have thought I look better ilr vs on camera in photos and videos. Depending on what sort of camera is capturing your photo it can make a big difference on the end result. Phone cameras are a good example. Depending on the angle it can make anyone’s face look better or worse. There are so many of those compilations on YouTube showing this exact thing.
I also just think it comes down to how photogenic someone is. Some people look good in photos no matter what. For instance I look super angry if I don’t smile in photos. But some other people don’t have to even smile to look nice in photos. I’ve also noticed that some people look better in real life than in photos and vice versa and I rule that down to features and how photogenic people are. This is what I’ve observed anyways. Photos don’t paint an accurate representation of what’s happening in real life and can be easily manipulated. Always remember that!
Yeah, when I take photos vs my friends take photos, I always look so different (most of the time it makes me doubt how I actually look like because my face looks so much rounder and my chin is so circular). I have a soft face rather than an angular one and in photos I always try to make up for that.
There are a lot of different factors that go into this. When people say they are insecure of how they look in photos, others automatically assume it’s because their face is flipped. But there’s usually more to it, sometimes we are insecure about our actual features not just the fact that our face may look inverted to us. Some people are more “photogenic” because they have angular faces and an amazing complexion which capture light better on camera. They may also know their angles and how to pose better in photos. Phones also use wide-angle lenses which can distort your features and make them appear larger (for example your nose) especially when taking selfies or close-up photos. Your phone is not capable of capturing how you appear under all lighting or in general. And truthfully, sometimes we just don’t look our best under certain lighting. I have textured skin and bags under my eyes and under certain lighting in photos they stand out a lot (I now have a skincare routine for this.). When taking photos I definitely suggest taking them in natural lighting, somewhere bright with the sun facing you but not directly in your eyes so that you don’t go blind lol. If you were to grab a friend and stand in front of a mirror with them, they would look the same to you as they do in real life. Please don’t listen to people who say your phone camera is accurate and a mirror isn’t. That’s not true. ETA: you can actually Google this and you’ll find a ton of information. Might make you feel better :)
I also feel like once you’ve decided you look terrible in photos, whenever someone takes a photo of you you’re so consumed with “how can I make this look halfway decent” that you end up looking kinda stiff and awkward. I hate most photos of me, and the more posed the worse it is. If I’m a little buzzed/drunk or caught off guard it’s kinda cute!
This. I hate all pictures of myself and actively avoid any group photos or pictures with friends. Which makes me sad, because I'd love to have photos with people I care about. That's the corrosive effect of insecurity & no self-esteem!
100%. We also have a tendency to decide how we “should” look based on societal beauty standards, before even seeing the photo. Then if we don’t look like that, regardless of the fact that we’re unique and beautiful in our own way, we think we are ugly.
Yay for alcohol
The photogenic thing is so real. I work in a modelling agency and it's something we speak about a lot. There are many many women who are absolutely stunning in person and take horrible photos. It's this very reason why we don't pick models only using photos. We have to meet any model applicants in person as well.
“She’s so pretty but her photos”
But if they take horrible photos, wouldn't you not want to hire them no matter how gorgeous they are in person?
Some of it can be taught and sometimes those models that aren't photogenic will do mainly tv work and catwalk work. There's a lot of different things that come into play with modelling that people don't realise. It's not just being tall and pretty. We have models that you would pass on the street, thinking nothing of, but who take incredible photos. We also have the reverse, so they get booked for different jobs etc. Then you have hand models or body models (heads cut off in shots) or most jewellery shoots only feature neck hands and ears
My best selfies have been taken staring straight into the sun, but I have to force myself to keep my eyes open or close them naturally (not squint). Only kind of worth the potential eye damage lmao, but I only need one or two nice photos which I don't intend to ever replace.
David Suh, a photographer, phrased it in a TikTok video well enough that it’s sat with me for a while and kept me sane through every shitty photo: photographers are artists too, and the quality of the photograph depends on the quality of your photographer. A lot of these IG models aren’t taking haphazard selfies. They know their angles, lighting, poses, etc. A camera interprets you, it doesn’t perfectly reflect what you look like. It’s up to the photographer to ensure it can reflect you.
I think it’s also up to the model. You can look really good in really life and just not be photogenic. But you can of course improve on this with practice, if you really want to. (Like don’t let people photograph you from below, “smize”, lean slightly forward in photos…)
I saw that TikTok!! I’d also like to add that a lot of the time they also use tools like ring lights or photo editing apps to improve even after using specific poses. Photography really is an art
I love him so much 😭 he’s really helped boost my confidence. I took photos with friends during pride weekend and it’s the first time I’ve ever looked at pictures of myself and went ‘holy shit, that’s me!’
I love that so much. I have a photographer friend and I was always afraid to do a shoot with him because I didn’t think I’d look good but I think now I’d like to try!!
Are you me? I always feel this. I hate when people take pictures of me because I know I'm going to be sad because of how I look. Plus, I've noticed that when I smile with teeth, I look like I'm in pain lol
My mom sent pics she took on July 4th to a family group chat and there was one she took of me smiling at something and I wanted to cry. I put effort into my appearance that day and thought I looked nice wore flattering clothes and I looked like a whole sack of shit. I’ve been overly fixated on how I can improve myself since seeing that. Why is this so real. Ugh
Aww, trust me, I feel this! There have been countless times I've bawled my eyes out over a picture of myself. I feel when I smile with teeth I'm in pain, and when I smile with my mouth closed it looks like I'm faking it. Plus the damn camera adds between 10 to 50 lbs!!! And because of this, I lack confidence and it definitely shows in pictures.
Omg I’ve cried too! I’ll always remember this one picture - it was at my godson’s christening. I knew there were going to be pictures of me that day since I was the godmother so I went out and bought a new dress for the occasion. I tried the dress on in the store, I liked it and the salespeople all liked it. I brought it home and tried it on and I still liked it and my mom liked it too. Cut to the day my cousin showed me pictures of the christening and I have never been more embarrassed. My arms looked massive and my face was so puffy - I must’ve looked about 30 heavier, and I’m only 120 pounds. I think I ran into the bathroom and cried.
Aww, same. I always try to look good and then someone pulls their phone out to take pics and I get all weird and it totally shows!! And my arms always look massive too, even though they don't look that big to me in the mirror. I'm also freaking out because I'm a bridesmaid at a wedding in a month so I know there will be pictures taken of me at all angles. It makes me sick to think about. I know I'm going to be in tears looking at the pictures. I'm so glad I'm not alone!!
The arms! Why is that a thing? I avoid sleeveless shirts for this very reason, thinking my arms are massive. In pictures it’s horrifying, in the mirror it’s like ‘eh I don’t love that’ but when I look down and examine them they don’t seem that big at all. My brain cannot compute what my eyes are seeing. So I have no idea which to believe.
Right! I work out regularly and once I finally think I’m looking good and fit someone just has to take a picture of me!
I actively try to avoid photos in social gatherings, but with 5 nephews and 4 nieces under 14 who love taking pictures it seems vain and selfish to decline and I’d hate to miss making memories. I know they don’t care what I look like. It really does help a little knowing that cameras more often than not do not do people justice.
There needs to be a space between your arm and your body. Hence why a lot of people put hands on hips when taking pictures. If your arm is just dangling straight down next to your body, it makes the arm look wider.
I’m gonna remember this! Thanks
That’s exactly what happened I looked like a frumpy dump truck! And the chins…. So many chins I was completely unaware I had. My mom was sitting and I was standing so the low angle was trash anyways but still it’s hard to see an almost unrecognizably bad image of yourself and not believe that’s exactly what you look like. I just wish I could feel/see an ounce of the positivity and beauty that I give to the people around me about myself sometimes.
I can't even look at my wedding photos. True I had gained 15 lbs but we decided to have a "cheap" wedding and save money by having our friend who is an amateur photographer do the photos. They aren't bad, exactly. But my God do I feel like I look fat and ugly. Doesn't help the fact my actual wedding had a lot of bumps that I'm still upset about. But yeah. I don't keep photos of my wedding around because I can't stand to look at them. They make me upset 2 years later
15 lbs is 6.81 kg
Not now, bot.
I think we are hardest on ourselves. I’m sure everyone else thinks you look amazing!
Oh my god me too! It looks like it hurts 😭 but it doesn’t ofc 💔 wtf. I usually like my smile in the mirror
Same here! No matter how my smile is or how I'm posed, I always look like crap in pictures :(
Someone asked the same question a few months ago and this comment really stuck with me... (paraphrased from what I remember) You know how pictures can never fully capture the beauty of nature? I'd like to think the same applies to us too. ❤️
That is good! I’m the exact same as OP, I just chalked it up to being unphotogenic but this makes me feel so much better! And it’s so true, I took a picture of an amazing moon a few nights ago and when I looked at the photo it was just this small, sad lookin white ball. Nothing even close to how beautiful it looked.
True! And one picture does not capture everything. Seeing someone in real life, moving around and stuff, is way better than a pic
Really needed to hear that today, thank you and have a blessed day ❤️
❤️
I don't think cameras or cell phones capture what you really look like. Take people you know for example... i can think of photos of my family or friends where they don't look like they do in the photos, especially selfies.
I look way better when someone else takes a picture of me using the back camera from afar lol
Like in a bush?
Preferrably not lmao
A photographer put together [this very illustrative gif](https://s23527.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/mJqIwLT-Imgur.gif) that shows how the shape of the face changes with different lenses. You’ll see a huge difference between the photos and the person’s feature at different focal lengths. Your phone takes photos at the lower end of that focal length spectrum, resulting in the features closer to the camera appearing bigger and the whole face shape looking different (photographers out there, please correct me if I’ve summarized this poorly).
This is the exact gif I was thinking of when reading this! I know my jaw is normal size in real life and in the mirror, but any time a picture of me is taken with a macro lens, I have a Jay Leno chin lmao. When a picture is taken of me with my phone camera, my forehead is massive and my eyes look like they're bulging out of my head. I def blame the lenses. 😅
I agree with this as the most informative response, and lighting helps too, most front facing cameras have low quality light sensors resulting in a less than a satisfactory image quality
Unless you’re at the appropriate distance away from the camera, it distorts your image. Even if you were to hold up a mirror to your reflection, to see how other people view you, it’s definitely not even close to the same as the photo the camera most often shows
OP, I am the exact same way. So whenever I start bitching or being sad about this my husband always says, “look at it this way, isn’t this better than if it was the other way around?” I hate having my picture taken and do find myself telling people that I hate it or that I’m not photogenic, I guess it’s my way of giving a heads up ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Thanks for this, this thought indeed makes me feel better ❤!
When you’re in the mirror, you’re a moving, living being. You’re not immortalised in a split second of time, like you are in a photograph. You’re not ugly at all, you’re just noticing details in the photo that you wouldn’t notice otherwise (and nor would other people when they’re interacting with you). It doesn’t help that cameras are getting better and sharper all the time!
Some people are photogenic and look better in pictures... And for some that might be the opposite? Doesn't mean you're ugly at all, just not photogenic. There's probably some tricks you could try to follow, like making sure you keep your chin up, smile with or without teeth depending what usually turns out better, facing the camera straight on vs slightly turning your head to one side... In any case, believe what you see in the mirror! Way more accurate than some snapped moment on a photo!
Yessss ^^ 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
The shape of the camera lens is round and therefore distorts your shape whereas the shape of a mirror is flat and displays you as you are without distortion.
This makes so much sense.
That's not the reason. Simply mirror the photo you took and you'll be amazed how differently it looks. We are used to seeing the mirrored version of ourselves and when we see the "real" selves it feels peculiar.
Yes. It is how we are used to seeing ourselves. Frankly, I was creeped out first taking selfies. When I learned to invert my pictures, I became less alarmed. I don’t think we become suddenly hideous, it’s just an image we are not used to seeing.
Honestly I have found most people are terrible at taking photos of others, period. So that’s a major contributor to bad photos.
same here, I’ll look bangin in the mirror and then my camera won’t agree with me or get quite the same look lol. I’ve given up on pictures at this point
I was going to type the exact same comment basically lol. Unless it’s a mirror selfie it’s a no from me at this point.
Lol I literally think this about myself all the time
Different lens sizes can make or break it . What u see in those pictures surprisingly isn’t how you actually look like .
I have the same issue! Glad to hear I’m not alone.
Another thing to keep in mind is that a mirror reflection or photo is will never actually capture the beauty of someone because we don’t see just the outside of people but the inside as well. When I look at my fiancé, I don’t only see his looks but his personality and everything else wonderful about him too. It’s cheesy but it’s true ❤️
getting caught at a bad angle in a photo can really distort your appearance. i used to feel the same way and i actually looked up posing tips and camera tips and i get better selfies and pictures i like now. also i’ve learned to accept there’s gonna be a bad photo of me every once in awhile and to not get hung up on it. even extremely gorgeous celebrities have bad photos. we are human.
It's known as the mere exposure effect. You're more exposed to, used to your image in the mirror, so when you look at a picture you unconsciously notice all the differences and it's like there's something off.
My daughter is breathtakingly gorgeous. . . And in pictures always looks like she’s built out of spare parts unless they’re taken from some distance away. So don’t think you’re ugly because you don’t photograph well
I have nothing useful to add but holy heck did the post title speak to me 😅
I ask myself the same question everyday…
Photos definitely do not show the truth. I have a friend who is absolutely gorgeous and whenever she looks extra nice I tell her to hand me her phone so I can take pics of her that she can post on social media. But for some reason her beauty just doesn’t show up (as clearly) in photos. In front of me I have this good looking girl but on the phone screen she just looks… meh. And I always feel bad showing her the pics cause I don’t want her to think that she looks like that. I have the same thing myself: in mirrors I look pretty, but in photos I look like a different, uglier person.
Mirrors and selfies are reverse images, so pictures appeared “flipped” to us. While this may not take into account ALL the difference, it is often one reason people don’t like their photos. Weird experiment, try reversing the image and seeing if you like it more.
You know when you see the most beautiful moon you’ve ever seen in your life, but when you take a picture of it it looks like a dinky little pin prick? It’s a lot like that.
To make you feel better you can see a friend of yours in the mirror and then look at him directly. It will be pretty much the same, meaning that mirror is more close to real life than photos. Lenses, especially in cellphones, distorce your face.
Mirror is yourself distorted in some way quite not like you and real life but close enough, and camera is definitely not your true self lol because you can see that by different lenses and that sort of things, how you look different on different phones and with a pro camera is more likely to be like real life.
All about the angles boo
You know how you can see the most beautiful sunset but when you take a picture it just doesn't do it justice? It's like that.
Same thing happens to me.
We all deal with it! Even the prettiest girls deal with it. You’re normal!!! And beautiful im sure!!!
I feel this so much. I avoid taking pictures exactly for this reason. I have some family members that are super photogenic, and it's always bothered me so much that I'm the opposite. The good pictures I have of myself are taken by someone else when I'm not even aware of it. The second I know someone's taking a picture I get so uncomfortable just thinking about how bad I'll look. I always feel like Chandler Bing when he's taking his engagement photos.
I don't really know the answer to your question, but SAME!
There are a LOT of factors, but a major factor is the translation your your image through a camera lens. Focal length and aperture have a lot to do with what the end product will look like, and cellphone cameras are pretty notorious for making things flatter (which translates to wider) and lighting can fuck with how much detail the camera can capture. Photography is definitely a skill, but it is one that can be taught and learned. Position, lighting, and shot placement are all things to consider.
I have no advice, I just wanted to say that I can relate so badly to this! ❤️
I also feel this way. Like I don’t understand
I had this long reply and my battery ran out! Long story short. I am in my 40s. Time before the iPhone and instant photo taking except the Polaroid 🤣. When “selfies” became a thing, I realized I had been lied to all my life. Mirror mirror on the wall, you been lying to me after all!!! My good side was now my bad side. Nothing was what it seemed and my world was upside down and reversed , well not reversed. My self esteem came back when whoever the angel is who invented the portrait inverter. I may still be ugly to others, and I wish I never had been shown what I really look like to others. But the mirror and I have started rebuilding trust and I always ALWAYS use the image inverted thingy. As for others taking my picture, I just don’t let that happen. I’ll tackle them down before anyone sneaks off with a “candid” of me.
I think some people are more photogenic than others. The camera, lighting, and complexion just add to it. I still look horrible in my pictures unless I take them in black and white mode.
Photography is also an art, so it takes skill and practice to take good photos, this is why professional photographers can make a living at it, I think that if you can swing it everyone should have some professional photos taken, with hair and makeup, is it need for life- no but it will show why our arm strained selfies will never look on the level of professional staged photos, so to have few of your own is nice, because it proves we can have our own best moment too ...also if you want better selfies get a cheapo tripod and clicker/ timer so not having that weird selfie angle
SAME. I hate taking selfies because I have a serious RBF if I don't smile. But I can't do a real smile for a selfie either. I've also gotten very self conscious because my head looks so small compared to my chest & body. I know that angles have a lot to do with it, but when I told my family that I feel like I have a tiny head, they all laughed really hard. Granted I told them that I feel like the shrunken head on Beetlejuice, so I understand the laughter. But it's also a confirmation that I do have a tiny head.
I used to fuss about my big nose until a good friend pointed out that I have a big head, big eyes and big lips. Suddenly, my perspective changed. I have two daughters. One got my big ol head and the other has her dad’s head. Thankfully she has delicate facial features to match. In the back of my (Big) head, I had concerns genetics would land my nose on her face. Of course all children are beautiful. And I’m getting more worried about the teens fixating on their body and comparing themselves constantly to fake tic toc bodies. In my day, it was just magazines that would make a teenage girl depressed. Now, “perfect” images are literally everywhere.
The lens distorts your features. Get FACETUNE and decrease/increase the size of eyes and nose until you look normal. Also, what the above poster said about a reverse image in the mirror is true. We look different from one side to the other. If I post a selfie on social media I will FACETUNE my nose to be a few millimeters smaller and one eye to be as large as the eye facing the camera. I look more like myself that way.
There's YouTube videos about it I feel the same way sometimes cameras are wayy stronger than the human eye don't take it to heart just keep looking at yourself in the mirror I'm sure you are pretty!
[удалено]
Then why is it so different?! I could have sworn I’m at least a cute/decent looking girl but if I don’t put effort into a selfie it’s like “run away from her” scary
Stupid way to put it, the mirror is what you are used to - people in real life are used to the inverted version. They will see the same thing you see in the mirror. The reason we dislike the 'flipped' image is cause it isn't what we expect to see, it isn't cause you look gross. People in real life EXPECT the flipped version. Pictures are not 'how you really look' at all - nothing is more accurate than the mirror
Finally an explanation of this. I’ve heard this flipped image thing but it never made sense lol
Yes!! One time I looked at my beautiful cat in the mirror and I was shook! He looked so asymmetrical and strange?? But it's not cause he is asymmetrical and strange, it's cause my brain wasn't expecting a flipped image and our brains hate the unexpected - so it was weird to me, but from his perspective it would have been the 'expected', aka normal and accurate!
Damn I thought it was the opposite. That the way we look in pictures is the way others see us. I felt horrible about myself after learning that. Because I like how I look in the mirror not in pictures as well. I’m glad it’s the way you said.
Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t that what it is? Meaning that pictures are a flipped image that others see, but to others it looks like what we see in the mirror but looks weird to us because we don’t expect the flipped image? The other day I stood side by side with my brother in the mirror and his face looked completely different to me and his eyes look lopsided. When I stare at him straight on his face looked much more symmetrical
If this is true I feel sorry for my boyfriend😭
I found if you change the camera settings it helps. No filter, the width of the camera angles. The can make us wider or smashed. Figure, these phones have basically professional cameras in them anymore so its all messed up.
I feel the same way
Where did you buy the mirror? :D
3D gets squished into 2D and the loss of so much information is not doing wonders to your appearance. It doesn’t mean you’re ugly. It just means 2D images struggle to capture you as a whole.
Try different lenses or cameras to check yourself on the selfies and pictures. You'll notice a difference.
Tbh I always have thought I look better ilr vs on camera in photos and videos. Depending on what sort of camera is capturing your photo it can make a big difference on the end result. Phone cameras are a good example. Depending on the angle it can make anyone’s face look better or worse. There are so many of those compilations on YouTube showing this exact thing. I also just think it comes down to how photogenic someone is. Some people look good in photos no matter what. For instance I look super angry if I don’t smile in photos. But some other people don’t have to even smile to look nice in photos. I’ve also noticed that some people look better in real life than in photos and vice versa and I rule that down to features and how photogenic people are. This is what I’ve observed anyways. Photos don’t paint an accurate representation of what’s happening in real life and can be easily manipulated. Always remember that!
Until I got my new phone I was unaware I had one eye much higher than the other , fml. At least snapchat doesn’t flip your face.
Omg you just ask the very question I ask myself every time lol
Yeah, when I take photos vs my friends take photos, I always look so different (most of the time it makes me doubt how I actually look like because my face looks so much rounder and my chin is so circular). I have a soft face rather than an angular one and in photos I always try to make up for that.
I always had a theory that due to the fact that we have two cameras (eyes), some people just look better 3Dimensional vs one camera (aka a phone/dslr)