Why all the finger V shapes and pouting from kids in photos?

[ChitterChatter1987]

What is the deal with this?!

Constantly seeing pictures of kids doing it nowadays even ones as young as 3 or 4 😥 Seems really sad that they are 'posing' in photos at such a young age.

Don't think alot of the american/Asian youtube and Netflix influences help......

They are being taught to do it by their young relatives? My great niece was taught the v sign by her 25 year old auntie.

I think the pout is meant to be a kind of ironic cuteness. The V thing comes from China or Japan. It just seems to be a habit that has spread worldwide. Probably now also kind of ironically cute. In fact cuteness in general has increased massively with the Internet ...... it started with kittens. And I think the Eaat Asian love of cuteness has spread worldwide too.

Don't know about the pouting, but the V sign isn't new. There's definitely several photos of my sister and me doing this in the 90s thanks to the Spice Girls. We would've been about 3/4 up to about 7/8.
I get my kids to do it sometimes when I'm taking their photo.

Agree it's not new! There used to be devil's horns, too. And pointing at each other in that exaggerated sports-commentator gesture. Pretty sure we used to screw our faces up and stick our tongues out. Then get told off, as photos were on film and cost money 😝

Ironic cuteness, at 4 years old?

What does that even mean anyway?

No 4 year olds are obviously just copying what others do.

Ironic cuteness is when you are mocking cuteness.

Thats not irony.

Do you mean the "Jjonyangi Ears" cats ears pose? It's a kpop cuteness thing.

Oh perfect, I love being wrong about the thing you asked me to explain!

If you're referring to my reply, mocking something isnt irony. Its sarcasm. Which I am a big fan of.

Yes you made my laugh! It was the classic ask for an explanation and then disagree with it. A time-honoured tradition on MN.

Why people can’t just smile for photos, I don’t know.
All this pouting/duck face/V sign nonsense.

The V sign thing gives me the rage. It's as if kids don't know what to do with their hands, so they do this.

I asked some kids I was taking a photo of why they were doing it and they'd no idea.

They learn it from older children. My six year old currently can't pose for a photo without doing either the 'soda pop' move or a peace sign - started after holiday club. It's annoying but they're just assimilating with their peer group.

Pretty much any time I take a pic of my 8 year old we do a nice one and a silly one. His silly pose is peace and pout or sometimes it's a Bart Simpson face.

I think it's funny. DH thinks it's funny. Both his and my parents find it funny too. So it's not going to stop because some people online don't get it.

The worst was a few years ago when people were doing a wide-eyed open-mouthed 'look of surprise'. There were grown adults doing it in photos, very bizarre!

Lots of photos of women getting engaged, pointing to their engagement ring with a fake look of surprise and the caption 'So this happened....'

Smiling is posing too. The Victorians would have found smiling for photos very odd!

What is it about recent photo-posing fashion that annoys you?

Just a trend. People follow trends in all sorts of areas of life.

No one said it was "irony" they said it was "ironic cuteness". There's a difference.

Because it looks ridiculous. Grown women pouting- yuk!

Has nobody mentioned the Spice Girls doing it to mean “girl power”, or has that long been forgotten?

My childhood thing was using my fingers to turn up the corners of my mouth to smile. I remember someone making this gesture to me just before a photo, so I thought I was supposed to do it. So I am doing it it on some of my childhood photos!

Oh yes, “tongues out” photos were sometimes concealed in the album by another overlapping photo.

My 45yo DP does it. Its his rebellion for being made to be in photos.

He gets cropped out a lot.

Edited to add he does the finger V (swearing) not the duck face.

I agree it looks ridiculous, and in my opinion it ruins a photo (yes just my opinion so no need for anyone to be offended!) I got the impression it’s mainly little girls doing it though? I have a teen ds and he’s never done it.

Trying to take a group school photo nowadays is a nightmare as the kids don't realise they're meant to just smile.

Their parents might think pouting, making duck faces, v signs or soda pop faces (whatever that is) is cute but sometimes it's not acceptable

Hmm yes wouldn't be suprised if bloody k pop demon hunters has something to do with it.....tried letting my 8yo watch that but soon turned it off due to the violence, inappropriate costumes, and bullying language.