Here’s why we look attractive in the mirror but ugly in photos

Tell us if this sounds familiar. Your skin is glowing and your hairdo is perfect–simply put you are feeling good about yourself as you look in the mirror.

However, you open your front camera to fix your lipstick and your confidence comes crashing down.

How come the reflection in the mirror and the photograph in your smartphone are in such sharp contrast to each other?

If you too keep wondering why do you look so different in photographs and why the mirror tells another story, we are here to help you with deception.

1. The familiarity with the mirror
The most concrete and familiar image of our face is the reflection we see in the mirror. It is there when we brush our teeth, comb our hair, do makeup or simply get ready for the day. Since you are so used to the image of yourself in the mirror (and even like it), when you face is reversed in the pictures, it seems uncomfortable.

2. Mirror, mirror on the wall
This is because the reflection you see every day in the mirror is the one you perceive to be original and hence a better-looking version of yourself. So, when you look at a photo of yourself, your face seems to be the wrong way as it is reversed than how you are used to seeing it.

This is exactly the reason you may feel you are the least photogenic person in a group, as everybody else’s face is the way you see them every day, except yours. Another factor that comes to play is the facial asymmetries that the refection in the mirror dials down. So, unless and until you are born with an absolutely symmetrical face, chances are you may also hate your candids for turning out all wonky.

3. The camera angle
There is a reason why you click more than one photograph before you finalise the most flattering one and get the picture worthy of being uploaded anywhere. It is important to understand that pictures are a 2-D version of real life. This simply means that photos tend to flatten your features or distort them due to certain angles. Also, since photos store everything, any awkward movement which goes unnoticed in real life is captured for everyone to see.

Remember
Remember, a good picture is a combination of good light, right angle and the perfect pose.

Tip: The harsh flashlight of your phone can highlight everything that you don’t find attractive on your face. It is best to stick to natural lighting to click the most flattering photographs.