When I look in the mirror I see an attractive normal face, when I look at a photo of me, I see a weird, hound-like creature

[FoxandHound]

The two images, the one in my head, and the one documented photographically are so wildly at odds with eachother.

Have name-changed because I'm embarrassed about possibly appearing self-absorbed. I'm not. I only ever feel this after I've seen photos of myself. The rest of the time I feel relatively good about myself. I mean, I know I'm not gorgeous, but I don't dislike my looks.

Anyone else suffer from this mysterious syndrome?

I do think that a static face is always more easy to find fault with than a moving one. If you are talking, lively and alert-looking most of your facial faults fade away. It's only when you are caught immobile in a picture that they show up at thier worst.

There is a photo of me in the local rag today

I look like a nob, end of

I'm like this too.
Spurred on by the backwards theory I just rotated a couple of photos (in Paint) and am pleased to report that actually I look much more like the image I see in the mirror!
I always tend to look very asymetrical in photos - wonky mouth, slightly different sized eyes... you know, hot

I suggest you all get flipping your photos.

(Ps - I cant work out whether the flipped or unflipped photo is closer to what other people see...but I dont care!)

I think that when you know you are about to look into your mirror, you turn/lift your head fractionally in such a way that you know that you will look your best when you see yourself. We do this after long practice.

I have a nose that looks ok from one size but bumpy from t'other. Whenever I look in the mirror I automatically tilt my head so I see the OK side of my nose.

Have you never caught sight of yourself in an unexpected mirror? You never think - ooh, who's that sexy lady, do you? It tends to be: oh look at the state of her, oh, she looks a bit like Mum, quite a lot like Mum, oh holy God and fuck it's ME!

You know when you travel on a train and it's dark outside, and your reflection comes back at you from the window?

I look effing gorgeous then

Wish I could take a photo of it.

oh no i knwo the worse

when you turn on your lap top at work adn the glossy screen reflects htis intense staring woman

I avoid photos at all cost for this very reason. Dh gets cross with me, he wants the dc to have photos of me when I am long gone...

I reached my forties and couldn't believe that I remained foxy and gorgeous with barely a line on my face.
Every morning I would check my face, do my make up and voila - beautiful in a kind of Kristen Scott Thomas way but a bit chubbier.

Then one day it occured to me that as I have to use my glasses to read anything that is not signage on the side of a bus, perhaps I should just check that eye make up with glasses on...

AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

The very, very absolute worst are car mirrors.
My face will melt from the sun before I'll lower the sun visor if it has a mirror on it.
Even worse is being in the back of the car and catching a glimpse of yourself in the drivers rear view mirror
Thank god I dont really look like that. I cant do, someone would have mentioned it by now, I'm sure....

I very vividly remember looking at myself in the sideview mirror in the car when I was a teenager and thinking "God I'm gorgeous". Now I can't bear to do it. It's becuase my cheekbones have disappeared.

IMO, the very worst is the hairdresser's mirror. It's the black robe, I'm sure

God yeah, I spend the entire time at the hairdressers squinting and avoiding eye contact with myself. Its like being on a really shit date.

at shit date

Exactly, JV .

i do that vixen eye narrowing thing

works a bit ( i think mainly as YOu cant see oyurself)

It's the same with me. 'Huge, doughy moon-face' sums up what I look like in photos too. I've just deleted loads of my holiday pics because my face looks like a bag of porridge (in my defence, I did have swine flu at the time).

I just find looking at pics of me so disappointing - all those occasions when I've walked out of the door with a spring in my step, thinking I look quite nice, then I've seen the photos and realised I look shite. Not fair.

I hate being photographed, but was unfortunately born to a woman who has to photograph absolutely everything (but refuses to be in photos herself). It's so bad - I was asked to be in my college's prospectus, but wasn't in the end because the photo was so hid .
However, I have learnt somethings: I should always lower my head in photos (and look up through eyelashes, a 'la princess di) otherwise my face just looks deformed. I'm still working on the smile. I went through a phase for a couple of months where I looked hawt in ID photos (passport, work and college IDs), I just don't know how to get it back. For the college ID they had a really fit guy taking the photos, so I think that might have something to do with it ...

hid, as in hideous

I read an article where a fashion photographer said there was a fool-proof way for every woman to look great in pictures; big, wide smile with the lips slightly apart and you then jam your tongue against the back of your top teeth. Apparently picture-perfect, dazzling smile guaranteed.

It was not a good look for me. To say the least.

am now doing my face exercises while reading this thread.

lol
dont you look like you have a LITHP?

i always stand side on.
ditto dough head

Oh god, its bad that I find facial excercises really draining these days isnt it?

rofl yes

i ahve a mosnter zit i cant WAIT to come to a head

and heeeeeeeaaaaavvvvve 2,3,4...

(thats me doing my brow lifts)

Spotty here too. And all down one side of my face.