Pictures of myself making me feel rubbish

[Nohopeforme91]

I now there's much bigger things going on in the world right now and this is a little bit light hearted but does anyone see a photo of themself and its makes them feel rubbish? I did my make up today, washed and straighted hair for a day out with the kids. My partner took a picture and I look awful. Hair is flat,look on the chubby side. I just look awful. I'm not an overly insecure person but now I'm questioning did I look really look that bad or was it an unflattering picture lol. Anyone else hate how they look in photos.

Yep, constantly. Although as a SAHM of two children I've made peace with the fact that the majority of the time I look like Adam Sandler haha.

I'm sure you looked lovely we are just all our worst critics sometimes, (and tbh my husband takes horrendous photos of me!)

I hate how I look in my official work photo taken years ago, I missed the day the professional photographer came in and someone had to take a quick picture of me in the office. It's awful, looks like I have around 6 chins, it's taken from slightly below and semi side on, I didn't actually see it at the time it was taken, if I had I'd have vetoed it, but having seen it since I look like Jabba the Hut.

Sadly this picture is included in any bids for work, and was in a presentation during a company briefing and was shared on a big screen with thousands of colleagues

Happily it doesn't reflect how I look now and I've sent a few other photos which are much filtered better but nope, Jabba stays

Hate my photo taken. I look in the mirror and think ‘not too bad’. Then I see a photo and it’s like Im looking at a different person. I wonder which version other people see?

Yep, this is me as well. I just think I'm not photogenic at all. I look bigger than I think I am or look in the mirror. I hate having my photo taken in general 😒

@Idontjetwashthefucker that's awful, really is when it's out of your control too. 😕

I look awful in most photos taken of me ! I really am not photogenic at all funnily enough my partner has just received a photo card from my son and his wife of the 4 of us together and all I focused on was that I looked like mrs potato head with a quadruple chin !
But my partner thinks I'm gorgeous..and my son and daughter in law love it because it it is a photo of a lovely time we had.so that's good enough for me !

It's funny isn't it. I thought I looked quite nice today. Felt as if ide lost a few pounds ..Nice fresh make up. But in the picture I look like a blob with 3 chins and flat hair 🤣

Yes. Loads of times. However I've also had ones where I honestly look I'm in my 20s (I'm 55!) so know that photographs are not a true reflection of our appearance good or bad. It's angles, lighting how the wind blows or shadows fall and that seconds facial expression. You must have seen enough photos of beautiful celebs looking awful to know that cameras are big fat pants on fire fibbers?

I am not photogenic at all! When my face is mobile I am, dare I say, an attractive woman. But I suffer from a major resting bitch face syndrome and just don't look at all appealing in photos and never have.
I am doing quite a lot of social media at the moment for my small business and I have to remind myself to smile or relax my face when I film myself "in action". I just look angry 😂

I completely agree, OP.

I've just got back from a week's holiday with DP. I hate having my photo taken and so he has very few of me or us together.

I decided this holiday I wouldn't be so fussy about having them taken but he's sent me all the photos he took this afternoon and I've gone through them and deleted all the ones of me.

I just looked hideous on them.

I kinda like how I look in photos! Its a very recent development though, there are hardly any photos of me at size 24 coz I refused to have any taken!!LOL

But I am always surprised when I look up at the monitor at self service tills. Ive always thought I looked fairly normal but in those monitors my features look 'loud'..... hard to explain but I swear I have too much eyes and nose for my face!!LOL😂

Yes. Photos often make me feel depressed as I always look worse than I’m expecting them to be - and I don’t think my expectations are high. It’s because I think I look ok in mirrors, on web calls, etc., and I’m not prepared for looking worse in a photo. It feels unfair! I think I’d deal with it better if I thought I actually looked like the photos. As it is, I don’t know which is the ‘real’ me.

My theory is that my features aren’t especially symmetrical and I’m just not used to seeing myself the other way around.

I look absolutely awful in photos. My nose is too big for my face.

I always think I look so much better in the mirror than in any photo.

I have a theory that some people look better as a still image, and some look better in motion.

My DP is beautiful, absolutely stunning. But she's the least photogenic person on the planet. She's fine with her appearance in a mirror, but she hates having her photo taken, and I get why, because she just looks flat in a way she never does in real life.

Half of what makes DP beautiful is the way she moves, the changes in her facial expressions, the smile that appears from nowhere.

Some people get called statuesque, literally meaning they'd look good as a statue, these are the people who I reckon look good in every photo.

I always think I look better in the mirror than photos too..but which is the real me? Argh

Yep! I look in the mirror and think I look ok until I see a photo and think do I really look like that?! I'm getting married soon and dreading my wedding photos!

You know the moon? Luminous? Beautiful? It's impossible to do it justice with your camera. It never looks how you "see" it. You are the moon. You are beautiful.

I'm the same but I read something recently that said when you take a photo of a sunset the photo never does it justice.... so I'm trying to apply this to when I look awful in photos 😂

I can manage to get a good angle and look pretty reasonable in a selfie but look grim in any photos other people take of me.
I once asked my DH when I was criticising yet another unflattering photo of me if I really looked like that as it's not what I see when I look in the mirror. He said yes and it was something scientific to do with reflection/refraction I think🥴.
He only has sight in one eye though so I've decided that it's him that's the problem and I do look passable in real life.
His photos look exactly like him so I don't understand why I look so awful.
Holiday photos are the worst as a short, fat, old, faded ginger person and I'm always red faced and sweaty.

I am sure you look just fine OP.
I though am truly a very ugly woman. Thin and lank hair, long shaped face, very thin lips, huge pointy nose, flat chested and big stomach.
My last photo of myself was from 10 years ago and I refuse to let anyone take anymore. Don't need reminders of how ugly I am, I see it everytime I pass a mirror.

WhingeInTheWillows · 09/08/2024 15:14

This is me also, people often tell me how good looking I am, my husband says I’m beautiful, I look in the mirror and think yes I am good looking but then I see a photo of myself and it looks like my face is melting and I’m crying, I just cannot smile for a photo without this happening

I have this but if I look at the same photo a few years later I think “I looked much better then!”

(After my MIL died her sons really appreciated the years and years of photos of her from all angles in different situations - so remember that one day your loved ones will want them and they won’t be picking apart your double chins!)

I know this thread is many months old but thought I'd refresh it. Yes, photos of myself definitely make me feel rubbish. Can relate to your post so much op. I've often got ready hair washed, nice clothes, a bit of make-up and thought I looked reasonably ok in the mirror. Then saw a photograph and the reality. why do I also look much older and haggard in photos than I do in the mirror. I really notice my changing body shape in photos too with the middle age thickening around the middle. terrible dry frizzy hair.
I've decided my mirror never lies but the camera does!