Anyone else find photos of themselves unbearable

[Littletinytarzanswingingfromanosehair]

I was at a site meeting at work yesterday and at the day of the day the team leader at the site asked for a group meeting photo. I was pressurised into getting in the photo of them all, it's on LinkedIn today. I look like a monster. I have very bad, shortsighted eyesight so my glasses don't look great. I have gained weight through PCOS.

I could literally cry and I'm trying so hard not too.

I've had eating disorders whole life and this is such a trigger for me.

Please tell me I'm not alone.

Yes, I started a thread the other day, which was essentially about hating being photographed, with a side order of thinking I was being called fat into the bargain. (And I was not always this way.)

Poor us ---- partly an age thing I suspect, but other reasons as well.
I recently needed an image for a a gym pass, and |I made him use a blurry picture of my phone homepage, of me on a horse, about 20 years ago.

My thread ....

www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4746966-mildly-offended-make-me-look-slim?page=3&reply=124086309

But did you ignore all the replies on that thread explaining that you’d taken offence where none was intended?

I loath photos of me as I manage to look awful every single time : I hate it so much!
I actively avoid photos being taken of me of any kind.
The camera hates me!

No I didn't ignore them.
(Whatever ignoring means in this situation.)

Something I do requires me to ask people to provide a "nice" photo of themselves. I'd say about 75% of people tell me there isn't any "nice" photo and there never will be, and give a picture telling me how dreadful it is. The pictures are never dreadful.

I hate my picture being taken and would hate it even more if it then had to be put on a work web page.

I hate it and I now also deeply regret it. I have next to no photos of DH and I together which made me sad when I was trying to put together a collage of photos for his funeral. I also have very few photos of me and my foster children together which means their life story books are missing some important images. I am trying harder now to be involved in at least some photos with the kids.

I loathe and detest having my photo taken. When I was younger and slimmer I didn't mind so much, but now I'm a menopausal lump I hate it. To me I look like I am all tits and chins. I will actively avoid having my picture taken unless it's unavoidable. You are certainly not alone OP.

I hate photos and mirrors. The menopause hasn't been kind. Until I was 50, although never attractive, I was young looking. I've aged massively.

Same ! Even when I think I look quite nice in the mirror I'm always horrified at photos of me. The image in my head of what I think I look like and what I actually do is very different !!

Yup. Too tall, double chin, ugly sneer for a smile, grey hair always shows through, hair always a mess (even as a child), huge bags under my eyes, bad posture..... I hate most photos of me. I thought it was normal to feel that way about oneself.

I absolutely hate getting my photo taken too. Last time was three years ago , when I turned 60. I decided to get a bus pass. My son and I were in Tesco and spotted the photo booth so I nipped in . I can hardly see without my glasses so that didn't help for a start...not being able to wear them for the photo. We duly waited for snaps to drop. I wasn't expecting to look glam....but my God I wasn't prepared for the sight that met me. I looked like Myra Hindley! 😱 I was horrified , looked at my son who was trying to keep a straight face but caved. We both ended up laughing hysterically , I still don't have a bus pass and those pics were cut into tiny little pieces and burned...I wasn't taking any chances. 😁

Oh the horror of going to take a photo and discovering the phone is on selfie mode!
I need new glasses which means trying on frames and looking in mirrors in brightly lit opticians.

@LoveMyPiano the 20 year old blurry horse pic made me actual lol. Thank you! From another troglodyte through a lens.

Yes 100%. That's why I don't have any photos of myself anywhere. I don't need anymore reminders as to how ugly I am.

Me

Thank you too!
Pleased it raised a smile 😊

(I had only joined that gym because they have no mirrors in half of it..... and the other half is for those who love seeing themselves)

You’re not alone. I didn’t even have a photographer at my own wedding.

On the other hand....just watching a documentary....most people are no oil paintings! Perhaps some of us are the enlightened ones!

My driving license photo makes me look awful , it's really bad ! Luckily it never sees the light of day. I do need to renew it this year.

I often wonder how I have ever managed to pull a bloke! Can that really be me?

I hate all photos of me ....even the ones done at my daughters wedding

I hate it as well I very rarely have my photo taken and will actually tell people I don’t want my photo taken and can get shitty if they insist .
They don’t get it because In real life i look absolutely fine I have nice skin really logelu hair and a good figure . None of this transfer into decent pictures though

I have a few photos that I like and I’ve given them to my sister on strict conditions that if I die or go missing they are the ones to be used 😂

if I went missing no one would ever find me or recognize me by my photos
I could probably rob a bank and get away with it 😂

This reminds me of a strange thing that happened years ago when I looked at a photo of lots of people, trying to decide if one person in particular was me. She was half turned away from the camera, so it was hard to tell.

Initially I looked and thought "that's not me" and the person in the photo looked normal.

Then someone said "that's you, look at the shoes". I saw that she was wearing the same shoes as me, so my head kind of went "that's me". Immediately I could barely look at her and was cringing inside at how ugly she was.

Then I remembered I hadn't been there on that particular day, so it definitely wasn't me; straight away she looked perfectly normal again.

I spent a few minutes sort of "switching" my brain between "that's me" and "that's not me". Every time I was on "not me" the person in the photo looked fine and normal. When I switched to "is me" she looked cringworthily ugly. It was really bizarre, and gave me some hope that I don't look as awful as I think I do.

God yes

As a child I wasn't like this even as a teenager Adult in younger years,

Only as older Adult
I feel as self conscious as teenagers quite often feel about their appearance,

I rarely take a good photo it's hit or miss either one

God I hate thus Facebook any blinking social media for taking photos of all most anything to do with you existing on this Planet of Ours
Grrr