Mirror image of my face better than my actual face?

[BramStoker]

AIBU?

Just been attempting to take a photo for new passport on my phone. My face on the screen looks ok, click for photo and then the image looking back at me is hideous. After endless attempts to obtain an image I am happy with, I have come to the conclusion that the mirror image of my face (what I see when I look in the mirror) must be aesthetically more pleasing than my actual face!?

Not being able to smile doesn't help as my smile is probably my best facial feature.

Its not like I think I'm gorgeous or anything and a close up face shot with neutral expression is never going to look great but weird how what I see in the mirror is much more pleasng to me than what I see on a photograph.

I have this exact same thing too!

It's a thing. It's what you are used to seeing (the mirror image) so a non-mirror image is disconcerting and why most people claim to be not photogenic.

No it's because you are familiar with that flipped perspective and therefore your actual face looks "off" to you - wrong and distorted in some way. It looks normal to everyone else because they are used to that side and to them you look weird in a mirror.

Yea 100%! One of the best things about meetings all being on zoom is that I can use the mirror feature!

Isnt the whole point that you are so used to your own face that your brain sort of edits out/doesn't notice asymmetry etc. Then you reverse the image and your brain doesn't do that and you notice things looking wonkier etc

We get used to looking at our faces in the mirror. What happens is you learn to tune out anything you might perceive as an imperfection from your mirror image. As faces aren't symmetrical, you look different in a photo from the mirror so the auto-tune doesn't work.

However, these 'imperfections' are so small that they are only visible to their owner. I guarantee that if you showed someone else your photo you'd look just as good to them as you do in the mirror, minus your smile of course.

What they’ve all said ^

Thanks all, I guess that makes sense

I've never really noticed it before but think the front on, neutral expression of a passport style photo really highlights the difference in a rather depressing way!

... the fact I am now 10 years older than my previous passport photo probably a factor too

I just had this same thing. Took about 30 selfies for my passport, and hated all of them. It was really bugging me, and I’d heard the thing about mirror images, so I flipped the least horrible photo- and it did look as I’m used to seeing myself. I then spent ages comparing the original and the mirror image to try and work out the difference, and eventually concluded there wasn’t one. And as soon as I realised that I could see that the original one was really perfectly normal and not hideous.

Glad it's not just me @boood

I had a lightbulb moment one day and held a photo up to the mirror. It was one everyone had said was so lovely and I hated because it didn't look like me at all.

In the mirror it looked just right

(I was born face-first and have more-than-averagely asymmetrical features)

So how are others seeing me? The mirror image I don’t mind so much or the other way which I don’t like ?? 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️

@marmitegirl01

So how are others seeing me? The mirror image I don’t mind so much or the other way which I don’t like ?? 🤷‍♀️🤦‍♀️

They will see "the other way", which is actually fine, But only looks odd to you because it's not what you are accustomed to

I have my camera settings to automatically mirror-flip selfies for this exact reason 😂

Genius!

I've just flipped some photos of my on my phone to mirror image. Somehow looks much better.

Yippee

I only realised this was a thing since starting all the zoom calls at work and not understanding why I looked so....wrong.

For me it's the opposite, I look way better in photos than I do in the mirror 😅

It's the same with hearing a recording of your voice. You are used to hearing yourself internally so when you hear it as others do it sounds awful.

@bobsandbits

It's the same with hearing a recording of your voice. You are used to hearing yourself internally so when you hear it as others do it sounds awful.

Ugh it puts me off talking.

@PandoraP

I only realised this was a thing since starting all the zoom calls at work and not understanding why I looked so....wrong.

Zoom is mirrored isn't it? Otherwise I'd notice everything behind me is in the wrong place. Or I'd lean off in the other direction... I do find having my face on the screen really distracting.

Just realised the photo thing must be why I always noticeably have one eye smaller than the other in selfies but never in the mirror. What if it's really obvious and I've just been mentally editing it out all my life

So strange, as someone else said, I am the opposite. Much prefer my photo image to my mirror image. So not sure what that means!

Yes whenever I do things like that I start researching surgeons to try and correct my wonky face

How do you get a mirror image on your phone. I've never heard of this and am struggling with my awful passport photo.

I don't know @dontsaveusername I can't find the function on my Huawei so my hideous wonky face will be going on my new passport

@dontsaveusername

How do you get a mirror image on your phone. I've never heard of this and am struggling with my awful passport photo.

I've got an iPhone, it's an option when editing photos