Mirrors and Photos....anyone shine some light on this?

[Coldy]

Hey guys

I aksed this a while back but wondered if anyone had any new takes on this
since ive been struggling to find an answer to this question for a while but noone seems to be able to answer it

Ive seen photo's of myself and to me they look nothing like i see in the mirror...in the mirror i think sometimes i look good but it always makes me depressed when i see photos because i think i look really ugly, if that makes sense

Which is true? is it my mind imagining im better looking than i really am when i look in the mirror? or is it my mind saying that the photos are more uglier? and infact i do look like the photos?

Its kind of an odd question i guess

 

[Quixote]

Check if it is because of your right hand part going to the left and viceversa

Apart from that, I think there could be a very simple reason: in the mirror you have a front view only, while in pictures it is not so. It could simply be that you look better from a front view. It is like that for myself, by the way.

Also when in front of the mirror you probably tend to have a "neutral" expression, so to speak, while pictures capture emotions on your face in a context, which is not always positive.

As an experiment, you could try to take a picture of yourself in a mirror-like way and see how it looks.

 

[Coldy]

Ya i tried taking a photo in the mirror and straight on and its totally not how i see myself looking when i look in the mirror :?

Its really odd its like im seeing 2 different people

 

[cLavain]

He! It's funny, I've always thought the same thing.

Dont know about you, but I've found that the setting plays a role: If I'm in a shopping centre, for example, I'm usually quite stressed so when I catch myself in a mirror there I'm appalled at what I see! The bathroom mirror at home is the best setting for a positive "result".

 

[Coldy]

He! It's funny, I've always thought the same thing.

Dont know about you, but I've found that the setting plays a role: If I'm in a shopping centre, for example, I'm usually quite stressed so when I catch myself in a mirror there I'm appalled at what I see! The bathroom mirror at home is the best setting for a positive "result".

Well i find all mirrors i look ok in but its just photos but ive even been to the doctor and he cant even answer if its my mind saying im better looking in mirror and ugly in photo...or if the photo (what i think is ugly) is what i look like to people

 

[cLavain]

He! It's funny, I've always thought the same thing.

Dont know about you, but I've found that the setting plays a role: If I'm in a shopping centre, for example, I'm usually quite stressed so when I catch myself in a mirror there I'm appalled at what I see! The bathroom mirror at home is the best setting for a positive "result".

Well i find all mirrors i look ok in but its just photos but ive even been to the doctor and he cant even answer if its my mind saying im better looking in mirror and ugly in photo...or if the photo (what i think is ugly) is what i look like to people

Well, I dunno, but the sad truth is that a photograph must be closer to what other people see... :roll:

So let's see what we have so far:
1) Your face is inverted (obviously!) in a mirror.
2) Lighting conditions are usually not the same, especially when the flash is "bathing" your skin in white light.
3) Your face is animated in a mirror, which usually looks more natural than a still frame.
4) A rigid, fake (in my case!) expression causes your features to look unrelaxed in a photo.
5) A photo is "done", and there's nothing you can do to change it (other than Photoshop!). In the mirror you can turn your face about to find the best angle, perhaps subconsciously?

More?

 

[corrinaelizabeth]

i h8 my photos so have hardly ne of me and when i go on other chat rms and ppl ask 2 c my pic im like i havent got ne and they dont believe me and they keep hassling me and in the end i have 2 ignore them coz it gets on my nerves so much and they wont take no 4 an answer grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[brownbag]

bdd?

i think you might have bdd - body dismorphic disorder, although i may be wrong, but it's just a suggestion to help you.
So maybe you wanna check out the bdd forum here and ask around.
Or just read up about it online (?) ... Cheers.

 

[AlleyCat]

I always hate the way I look in photos. I have really low self-esteem and I never feel pretty. Some people are so photogenic, not me. I enjoy being behind the camera but never in front of it but I don't like mirrors either. I try my best to just avoid them when I can. I've always wondered how we look to others. Do they see the same image we see of ourselves or do some of us just have a different perception of ourselves than what others really see?

cutefluffykitten, you shouldn't feel that way. I've seen your pics in the photo album. You're beautiful!

 

[savage_beagle]

its the mind playing tricks on us.

Hi! Cutefluffykitten nailed it bang on. I feel the same way as she described, and i am a straight hetero male. I know its really about low self esteem and i too try my best to avoid photos taken of me and pretend to show a lack of interest when anybody tries to show me recent photos.And here is the kicker, the funny thing about that whole mess...many have said to me that i am attractive or handsome, and that list includes strangers, relatives c0-workers. I often get stares, or catch others glancing a quick look. Many of you reading this probably think i am bragging or being a self conceited jerk.....but it is the opposite. I too have suffered and battled a life long affliction of depression and anxiety going back to early childhood, and that inturn gave me self esteem issues which i am always working to improve. Thats what low self esteem does to you--it makes you think less of yourself, including how you perceive your own attractiveness to others. You see yourself in a photo and you think you look goofy and unattractive, and you go to extremes to avoid being in photos/home videoes...i am my own worst critic. But, i am doing much better these days, and use positive affirmations and do much more to improve my self confidence. The more i do that, the more i learn to love and accept myself---and the more comfortable i am around others. Hope my posting helped others, good luck everyone.

 

[cherish]

it's kind of like hearing your voice when it's recorded. You'll usually hate the way you sound but to everyone else it just sounds like you, which is scary when you hate what you hear and don't think you sound anything like that. It is a weird thing.