To feel like a goblin on teams

[HiyaCaath]

Does it magically make anyone else so bloody ugly, how can I look in the mirror and look one way and half decent and then go on teams and age 100 years, is it the lens or ? I can't dare look in meetings anymore but then I'm not looking people in the eye in the meeting, AIBU

Yes on Teams everyone looks awful no matter how they look. I am slowly meeting external clients that I have worked with remotely over the last few years and feel a bit shocked whenever I meet someone in person, they're always so much more attractive in real life!

It's particular to Teams as well - Zoom is slightly better, but not by much.

So basically I wouldn't worry about it at all. No one else cares what you look like, because everyone on the call is too busy looking at themselves thinking "JFC do I really look like that!?" They're not looking at you thinking "wow I look great but HiyaCath looks awful"

Get a halo/ring light - light on your face will make you look normal! Also I put the ceiling light on too so there’s plenty of light in the room.

I've spent a long time thinking about this as I have to do big presentations virtually (even before covid) and the most important things are lighting, the camera position, camera, and wearing the right colour (which sounds like some demented colour analysis lady, but makes a huge difference to my appearance on camera).
Lighting - when I moved things round in my office I put the desk right in front of the window and it was never very flattering, so I put up a voile curtain which diffuses it, then can top up with a ring light. I also have a little LED rechargeable lamp which is brilliant and was dead cheap that I use when I need to be in another room due to noise or whatever. Play around with the room lights and where you sit a bit
Camera position - it needs to be looking slightly down on you so you lift your chin very slightly to look up to it, square on to your seating position
Camera - the one in my laptop is rubbish and doesn't auto adjust well. £30 on an external one even made a huge difference
Colour - scarves really work on camera as the colour is right up at your face. They also disguise that you are wearing a hoody. For me I need bright and clear plain colours but I think they do frame your face when its just a head shot view

And this is why I love mumsnet. Such helpful and practical advice @CMOTDibbler - thank you!

Yeah I know I think because I’ve been ill I’ve been down about my appearance, I know I shouldn’t care. I know it’s stupid isn’t it.

Everything that @CMOTDibbler said, also I find that a bit of eye makeup also helps as otherwise my face looks like two currants in a bun.

Oh how unfortunate my camera does not work. You'll just have to look at that nice photo of me which is now five years old.

A wee light facing your face, from below ish.
Foundation and mascara.

And go into the Teams camera settings - you can put it on slight blur for complexion!

Zoom is way better and you can also use the "touch up my appearance" setting! Teams is deadly

Wait, you can do that on teams I didn't know that I never found it!

Yep it's quite new, teams does seem to get a monthly or so function update at the moment.

Latest one was easier screen sharing of documents in the call.

Clearly Microsoft is being agile, about 2 years too late

On makeup, for me a bit of coloured lipbalm makes the biggest difference, then a swipe of eyeshadow (literally some Trinny eyecolour out of the pot with my finger). For a big presentation I do some contouring (really badly, and way more than I would ever do in person) and stick false eyelashes on and combined with my 'best on camera, don't ask about my midriff' top which has an interesting but high and unfussy neckline and is very bright pink, I go from knackered 50+ to corporate hot shot

I hope most workplaces wouldn't put up with that. How on earth do they know people are even there and haven't buggered off to do something else?

God yes, Teams is brutal. I have long, straight dark hair that sometimes has a nice shine to it in the mirror but on Teams, it looks flat, greasy and stuck to my big round head. And this is when its squeaky clean!

I bought a £10.99 ring light from Home Bargains as soon as lockdown hit and it would have been worth it at £50. Banishes all shadows and bathes your face in a flattering light. It's a 10/10 for the self-esteem.

I look better on teams. Much prefer it to real
life.

I don't think I ever put my camera on for a teams meeting, my camera didn't work half the time and I used a seperate screen with the laptop closed anyway and the screen didn't have a camera. Luckily none of my management never mistrusted me to think I'd not be there during meetings.

Test it sitting directly in front of a bright window but not direct sun. Even if you can't do that regularly you will know then if it's the lighting.

I have also noticed that it makes people’s noses look bigger. I think it must be something to do with how close the camera is to faces compared to looking across a meeting table in real life.

I gained weight during lockdown and lost some of the definition in my face. For some reason Teams made me look like I’d used the baby filter on Snapchat. I’d spend the whole time I was in a meeting trying to avoid looking at my face as I looked so ridiculous 😳

I only look any good if I put on makeup. However, I prefer to get up 10 mins before work starts rather than do my makeup. I only do it if we’re meeting with important stakeholders so I don’t look like a scarecrow.

I look SO UGLY on teams. I genuinely wouldn't pick myself on Teams out of a line up of my own selfies, I look so different.

Unless all the other photos and mirrors are inaccurate and I actually look like Teams me to everyone else in the world.

Off to have an existential crisis now.

Laptop cameras have a lot to answer for. The position is a huge part of the problem - as has been mentioned, cameras need to be slightly above you and pointing down, not attached to your screen and pointing up your nose.

Oh my boss told me about the soft focus setting last week - nearly three years in to wfh. Game changer!