Attractive in mirror but ugly on photo?

[stroopwafel]

I always experience this peculiar 'phenomenon' that when I look in the mirror I think ''damn, I'm pretty handsome'' but then when I see myself in a picture it's like ''ugh, look at that face'' and I can't stand it.

Anyone else experience this? Or have an explanation?

 

[Basement Cat]

Self-consciousness. I remember not particularly caring for pictures of myself when I was a younger. Then I chanced upon some photos of me when I was in college and found myself feeling melancholy. "Wow, I was actually handsome! To bad it didn't last."

Eye of the Beholder, and all that.

 

[Zhukov]

When you're looking in a mirror you'll usually be facing your reflection front on so you'll become accustomed to that view of yourself. Plus you can adjust your expression to suit.

Photos, even when you're posing for them, can catch you from angles you're not used to seeing and you're never certain how your expression will come out until you see the result.

I tend to look okay in mirrors but in photos I can vary from okay to kill-it-with-fire.

Fun experiment: get two mirrors and angle them so you see yourself side-on. Can be quite a shock for some people. Was bloody horrifying for me.

 

[maninahat]

I look far more handsome in the crayon drawings I make of myself. What gives?

 

[DemikidZA]

Isn't it because the brain subconsciously makes you think you're more attractive than you really are. Seeing yourself in a picture is basically what you really look like, possibly why people will on average rate themselves higher on a scale of 1-10 than other people rate them

 

[Wintermute_v1legacy]

Something wrong with your mirror probably.

 

[stroopwafel]

When you're looking in a mirror you'll usually be facing your reflection front on so you'll become accustomed to that view of yourself. Plus you can adjust your expression to suit.

Photos, even when you're posing for them, can catch you from angles you're not used to seeing and you're never certain how your expression will come out until you see the result.

Yeah, that makes sense. I guess a photo being a flat image also contributes to that.

Fun experiment: get two mirrors and angle them so you see yourself side-on. Can be quite a shock for some people. Was bloody horrifying for me.

NO!

Isn't it because the brain subconsciously makes you think you're more attractive than you really are. Seeing yourself in a picture is basically what you really look like, possibly why people will on average rate themselves higher on a scale of 1-10 than other people rate them

Something wrong with your mirror probably.

I did clean it recently with peanut butter.

 

[lacktheknack]

It's because you can adjust your pose in real time with a mirror, I bet.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

You ever seen the lighting in most non-professional photographs? That's not going to flatter anyone. Mirrors tend to be in well-lit rooms.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

When you look at a mirror you're not only looking directly at yourself, but you're seeing s mirror image and natural depth perception of the eye and the non-euclidean dimensions of the face. When you take a photograph (particularly a digital photograph) not only are you not getting a mirro image, not only are you getting a mere simulation of non-euclidean dimensions, but you're also getting a 'slice' of self-perception free of movement, self-conscious adjustment whereby you're trying to simulate the 'external gaze'.

Hence why you should use mirrors for general maintenance... but a camera to get a 'truer'idea of how you will look to others. Given the lack of true symmetrical nature of human faces (also a facet of beauty), how you shape your hair or even use cosmetics will be altered when you start facillitating the external gaze and the 'mirrored gaze'.

Sorry to say it, but the video camera perspective is more indicative of how you look than a mirror. Also use a well lit environment.

You should use a video camera. Not a digital camera. Natural movement is always going to be more appealing than assuming people see a time-locked person who is separated from the vaguaries of external stimuli and where people csn be given all the time in the world to focus on whatever imperfections of appearance that most people will never actually observe.

Either that or not hive a shit about how people will look at you ... believe it or not but most beauty is always going to be in the eye of the beholder, and you can't adjust as if a universal view of you from all perspectives of all humans. So confidence and strength of character is always going to be valued highly.

I'm near 5'11... so 95% of people, man or woman, is not going to be awarded an eye-level gaze. So a mirror image is going to be particularly alien yo how I look as if from a video camera from a more universal height oerspective.

 

[RobertEHouse]

Well if you want to know, it's more complex then you think.

Your eyes and brain are playing a nice little trick on you in the mirror, plus the type of lens you are using on a camera will also have a positive or devastating effect on what you get in a photo.

Mirrors:

The human brain actually has a natural "auto fix" feature which corrects the small imperfections in your face. What this means is that if one eye is off just two centimeters, the brain will make your eyes look even in the mirror. It also takes into account depth of features, this goes for everyone you met face to face. So don't think your own brain is just doing it to your own face' reflection. It does this all the time with people you meet face to face in public. In other words we are actually auto correcting faces without knowing it. Now since depth is a important part of the process, you are removing it in a mirror and thus your eyes and brain correct with limited data. This mirror image is what we get used to as we use mirrors a lot, the problem is its incorrect to what you look actually like in reality.


Camera:

When you take a camera image, the camera doesn't have such an "auto fix" like our brains do. It actually only shows what exists which means a flat image but it does try to mimic depth of the subject. Cameras are not a perfect solution to actually get your real image of your face, but they are a good approximation. The weaknesses of cameras are certain things in the photo can affected it even more then you may think about. A wrong lens can effect what the camera is actually seeing, the height of the camera lens can also do this as well. Lighting is also important as it adds the depth which helps define a person's features. If either of these things are off you're going to end up with more of a crooked mouth, eyes e.t.c. Selfies are horrible period for this because they are usually shot very close or at strange angles which make a person look off.

A lot more info is on the web on the scientific part of all this, but this should give you a run down to help you understand whats going on.

 

[stroopwafel]

A lot more info is on the web on the scientific part of all this, but this should give you a run down to help you understand whats going on.

That's a really good and easy to understand explanation. Thanks for posting! Though I actually hoped the camera was wrong.

 

[Major_Tom]

I think it's because most modern phone and point-and-shoot cameras have wide angle lenses by default (or at least when zoomed-out). And when you take a picture with a wide-angle lens at a close range, it will distort your face. Bad lighting also helps.

Spoiler

If you have access to a camera and a friend right now, let's try something. Take your camera and disable digital zoom, go outside and have your friend back away from you so they can fully zoom-in using only the optical zoom.

 

[Xeorm]

Don't forget about movement. A still photo will be a single instance of time, with you unmoving. Takes practice to take a good, single photo. You can cheat somewhat by focusing on a facial expression you know works (like a smile or duck face) but it can still be iffy.

That image in the mirror is always moving normally, so it's easy to see it as a face and notice that your eye looked droopy in that last photo you took.

 

[CaitSeith]

Psychological theories aside, the way the photo was taken may affect the result. The wrong angle, illumination or pose just make the things worse. You can practice with selfies to learn which is your best side.

 

[lionsprey]

magic mirror or cursed camera would be my guess.

 

[Majestic Manatee_v1legacy]

We would like your mirror. Are you selling it? Our one is very honest. Too honest. We would prefer the comforting lies for the day to day struggle.

 

[lechat]

grab an "ugly" photo of yourself and flip the image.
The brain doesn't like looking at a reversed version of your face for some reason and prefers the real non reversed version.
not sure why it is but I read it somewhere and since I also am an amazingly handsome fellow who does not photograph well I can say it works.

 

[Hawk of Battle]

So what I'm getting here is that we should do away with mirrors and instead use 360 degree live video feeds of ourselves, displayed on a high resolution 3d monitors from multiple angles, with optimal lighting and proper zoom functionality, so as to never be mislead by our own misconceptions of self-beauty again.

Seems legit.