Filtered SM images that look like different people

[StrawberryDream24]

Can someone explain to me the thinking behind people (in this case I think it's entirely women) using images of themselves on FB that are so heavily filtered (and sometimes out of date) that they look like completely different people?

Does anyone else find this mind boggling?

I mean, anyone who knows them in person;; knows they don't look like that.

Are they getting gratification out of thinking people who don't know them in person or haven't seen them in person for a long time ...believe they look like that (?)

Are they not embarrassed that people who know them or who've seen them recently will look at the images and think "wtaf, you don't look anything like that?" or "Who is that?" ?

Is this some sort of delusion?

(Examples;

I was introduced to a young relative's girlfriend a while back - whose FB profile had been popping up on my "people you may know" since she started seeing my young relative and friended his family on FB.

I was completely non plussed and had to hide how confused I was, because the FB profile image that had been popping up was (and still is) of a tiny, thin young woman with bleached hair, posing in mini dress; but I was introduced to a v curvy young woman with brown hair who even facially appears to look nothing like the young woman in the FB profile image.

For a moment I thought he must have ended things with the young woman in the profile and gotten together with another young woman; except she had exactly the same name, and it's an extremely uncommon name, I had to assume it was the same person and was just left with trying to hide my non plussed expression.
The FB profile pic still seems to be up, so it"s definitely her.

Another young woman I know as an acquaintance (though she's not as young as my relative's gf) posts heavily filtered images of herself on Facebook regularly.
They don't look like her. They look like a different person. (She's generally posting saying she e.g. got a new hair cut and apparently prompting comments/compliments).
This is an intelligent young woman with kids, who's doing a masters and building a career.

I just don't get it.

There's trying to look your best but then there's posting images that look like a different person.

What's the point?

@Allthegoodnamesarechosen I often think how difficult it must be for the police if they only have heavily filtered photos to use in appeals for people wanted for a crime or missing.

A young girl I know filters heavily. She met someone for a date at the cinema. He went to the loo halfway through and never came back. I guess he was confused as to who he had met Vs her pictures online.
She had a baby recently and even used a filter on the baby!

I go to a weight loss group and am in a Facebook group for it. Quite a lot of the members use a photo that is incredibly old or so heavily filtered that I don't recognise them. I think it's due to self esteem. I don't think they actually think anyone will be fooled in to thinking that they actually look like their picture but they are embarrassed about what they actually look like so don't want that image to be on every message they send etc. I have a photo of my dog as my profile picture for similar reasons.

I find it amusing.
It actually has the opposite effect of what they are trying to achieve. Where as you might see them in real life and not have an opinion of their looks or think they are attractive, when they have very altered photos on SM to make themselves look more attractive, when you then see them in real life it makes them seem unattractive in comparison to their photos so you end up visually seeing them in a more negative light.
Its very strange indeed.
I hadn’t seen one of my cousins for a very long time and her social media photos made her look like she had had cosmetic surgery. It was very strange running into her in real life to discover that she actually just looked like an older version of her old self. It did leave me thinking - just, why??

I’m in my 60s and only have the barest of Facebook pages, with only real life friends. However, I am not photogenic. When I had to have a photo done for work, I avoided it, was forced to comply, and told them they would not like the result. They never put the photo online. I was the only staff member with no photo. My profile picture is a cartoon version of me I made in an app. It’s better for everyone that way.

I think the funniest bit is when you click on their "Tagged" photos and see the real night from someone else's unfiltered pictures. They're usually hastily untagged.

My ex ran off with a "Public Figure" insta business lady. She clearly edits multiple pictures very badly (light on the water going the wrong way, super stretched legs that also stretch the chair/wall/clear pattern behind the legs) and the latest looks like she's actually used clip art to draw on a top that she went to some outdoor fashion event in what looks like a bondage number. Clearly didn't quite look how she expected it to so she's drawn all over the pictures to cover bits up then posted them! These pics of her drunkenly freezing her (exposed) tits off, being grabbed at by 60+yo pink-drunk men with grey skies overhead...who are they meant to appeal to on her business page? This woman is 40 and it's depressing to me, not at all enlightening or inspiring.

@Summerishere123 I saw some filtered photos of babies where they also had hearts and cute printed all over their faces. Babies are gorgeous anyway, I just can’t understand it.

I'dlove to agree with this in more than sentiment. If you watch any of the dating shows you'll see the disconnect between what men and women expect from dating. You've a man who is a solid 5 expecting a model, no less than a solid 9. He will swear blind he has never ever dated anyone under a 9 and 8's repulse him. These men don't appear to own mirrors, ever critiqued their own CV's or been told the truth by family or friends.

About 10 years ago my friend joked that if her sister ever went missing they wouldn't have a usable photo because they are all so heavily filtered so it's not a new thing.

But yes it's weird! I sometime hit the 'enhance' option on photos which seems to brighten the photo but doesn't alter how we look.

People even put enhancements/ filters on their kids pictures and I'm not talking about the snap chat filters with funny faces etc.

It's not looking your best though is it , when it looks nothing like you and hardly recognisable as you. Make up can only do so much

Because they can. They see filtered images of famous people and want to look that same level of perfect. It's probably very addictive.
Obviously it's free and painless, unlike cosmetic surgery.
There was one in the paper the other day, it was a young woman who got done for drug smuggling and was pleading her innocence.
The photos from her socials they used really looked nothing like her. Very slim, angular face, huge, bright eyes, smooth skin, tiny, ski slope nose, massive lips. In reality she was quite an unfortunate looking lady, objectively. I just thought. Catfish! Why? Especially when she let them take loads of real pictures to show alongside it.

It actually has the opposite effect of what they are trying to achieve. Where as you might see them in real life and not have an opinion of their looks or think they are attractive, when they have very altered photos on SM to make themselves look more attractive, when you then see them in real life it makes them seem unattractive in comparison to their photos so you end up visually seeing them in a more negative light.
Its very strange indeed.

Totally agree.

I don't understand what the thinking is.

Their behaviour makes people who know them respect them less - no matter how kind they try to be.

And it makes them much more likely to "disappoint" strangers ...and if dating, be rejected.

I don't use social media much, but am part of a local group for my town that has traffic updates, news etc.
They quite frequently post up pictures of missing people (usually teenage girls) that haven't come home when expected, or people are worried about them for some reason.
Without fail everytime, the photos are so incredibly filtered the person would not be recognisable at all if you were to see them. Facial features are blurred, nose will be tiny, huge black eyes, massive pouty lips tanned complexion. They all look the same. If someone is brave enough to ask if they have an unfiltered pic to post as would be more helpful though they will have their head bitten off by others. It's just really really sad and feels like people are losing sight of what normal humans look like.

I'd be too worried people would think I look shit in real life if my pictures were filtered etc.

Is that representative of the entire population of men though?

I think it's representative of a section of the male population. A relatively sizeable proportion, yes - but still only a.proportion.

In reality, a lot of men happily partner with women they find attractive who are reasonably looks-matched to them.

I also know a small proportion of men who are overly critical and under-confident re their own looks/attractiveness and have partners who are less conventionally attractive than them.

My work photo had to be found in a rush and I chose my most recent where I could bear the image and looked like I was a person who does their hair and washes 🙈 plus a bit of make up - it was 2 years old (I hate photos) but no filters whatsoever and I can look like that more or less if I try hard IMO - or thought I could.
A member of one of my new teams was staring at me after intros and said she'd only seen me on Skype chat/mail and hadn't realised who I was in person - I said oh I guess I don't look like that today lol and she stared a very hard Paddington stare and said 'no you don't look like that, not at all' - vanity, age and rose tinted mirrors must have led to this misguided deceit, which I hadn't thought was so incredibly obvious 🙈
The filters, and out of date pics on OLD particularly have blown my mind before - some causing funny stories afterwards - but seems I've drifted towards it myself now!

Now imagine doing online dating, where 80% of the women use obviously heavily filtered photos, pouting with duck face, with bunny ears or butterflies or a dog’s nose. And then they complain that the men look like a potato.

Well I guess it's balanced out by all the men with 20 yr old photos (and photos of them with mates where it's not clear which one is them).

(I always wonder if the latter guys are cheating and are using photos that they can claim are their mate, rather than them, if their profile is ever found by their partner or someone she knows).

She sounds pretty rude.

Who says something like that to someone, even if you're thinking it. No filter and no manners.

And it wasn't even a filtered photo, so ...

This woman....only 23! arrested for smuggling cocaine into UK recently..

A massive difference between reality and a filter.

Yes, there's someone quite senior in the education department in our council who posts such a heavily filtered photo she looks unrecognisable and barely human even. I think this alone should disqualify her from her role. She is clearly unsuited to making decisions about children's wellbeing if she thinks this is appropriate.

I have a relative who filters ALL her social media images of herself, even ones with her kids in etc. me and my sister joke that if she got kidnapped no-one would know what she looked like! The funny thing is her husband posts photos from the same family day out without any filters so it looks like he has 2 wives! completely different! Its weird as surely she knows they look like different people so I'm surprised she doesnt stop him posting!

It’s really obvious it’s been filtered. Looks awful.

My SIL is like this and she also filters photos of my 3-year-old DNephew which is so weird.

Yeah, it sounds harsh but it makes me wonder about their values and mental health.

The second example I gave - an apparently intelligent, well educated, career oriented relatively young Mum (who's a very responsible Mum) ...... And I just think "what are you thinking? This is ridiculous, why do you not think it's ridiculous?".

She's not even "on the pull" (sorry to use that phrase) because she's happily married to a man she's been with since their youth.