How to Deal When You Hate How You Look in Pictures
By Meghan Blalock
Unless you’re Blake Lively, who is seemingly incapable of taking a bad photo, you’ve likely looked at pictures of yourself in the past and thought, Yikes. Whether it’s the face you’re making, your choice of outfit, or the ever-feared appearance of a double chin, there can be a number of reasons you don’t love how you look in photos.
Well, you’re not alone! And there are some practical real-world ways you can combat that feeling—and stop it from happening in the first place. Keep scrolling to see seven easy tips for dealing with hating how you look in photos!
Photo: Style du Monde
If you see a photo of yourself that you simply cannot stand, take a moment to analyze the reasons you feel that way. Is it something about your hair? Your face? The way your outfit fits you? The best way to combat looking bad in photos is to know what makes you look good in photos; makeup and clothing play a big part in that.
Related: How to Take a Perfect #OOTD (Without a Photographer)
One of the aspects of social media we are most thankful for is the filter. Far from a dishonest way to present an unreal image of yourself, we prefer to think of filters as ways to enhance your best features. Try taking a straight-on selfie of yourself then running it through all the different filters to see which you like best.
Ah, the double chin: one of the most feared occurrences in all of photography. To avoid this beast, turn your face to a three-quarter angle away from the camera lens instead of looking at it straight on. Make sure the lens isn’t too far below your eyeline, and for god’s sake, make sure you’re not actively pulling your chin back into your neck. Recipe for disaster! You want to emphasize your jawline as much as possible, not hide it from view.
Related: 10 Easy Steps to Looking More Photogenic
Next time you take a photo, make certain the light source is not directly overhead. This creates unwanted shadows across your face and body that can be quite unflattering. The best way to position yourself is directly in front of the light source.
Sending your eyes ever so slightly above the direct line of the camera lens will cause you to involuntarily lift your chin a bit, combating double chin and highlighting your jawline.
Related: 13 Tricks To Looking Slimmer In Photos
Photo: Style du Monde
Unlike squinting, “squinching” involves squinting your upper eyelids just a little while pinching up your lower lids a smidge. Confused? This handy tutorial from Huffington Post explains it more precisely than we can.
And above all…
Keep in mind that every seemingly perfect photo you see of celebrities, street style stars, and the like is only one of hundreds of images captured of that person. Every photographer worth her salt knows that for every hundred photos snapped, there might only be one worth keeping and displaying. Hold yourself to the same standards, girl!
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