Mirror Image vs. Real Life

beautifulbeast11

OMG that happens to me all the time. I hate taking pictures now... I hate it!

10acity

This has definitely happened to me, but I've also had the opposite happen on occasion. (Oh hey, I don't actually look gigantic. Huh.)

Most recently, a photographer friend asked if she could test out some new equipment on me. I really hate having my picture taken, but I'm also pretty vain (hey, I'm pretty!) so I thought if anyone can make me look good, she can. Of course, she's still a great photographer-- but I don't know what I expected her to do about the 30 lbs I had gained over the previous 2 years! I looked at those shots and for the first time in a long time, all I could see was FAT. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but it did wake me up. I just looked at them again the other day, and almost 20 lbs later, I definitely do not look like that anymore! Phew!

We look at ourselves every day, and things tend to change slowly. It's easy not to see something we don't want to see.

yoovie

Every day. Unfortunately for me, most of my candid AND posed shots go straight to widespread social media before I see them and when I do, I try to hide my fat *kitten* under a rock.

auroranflash

Photos can be very unforgiving. -_-;

yo_andi

I have abs in the mirror, but not in real life!!?!?

I can has your mirror?!

thebaconbeast

When I look in the mirror I don't see what everybody tells me they see , I Just see a guy in the mirror looking at me funny.

star0207

Does anyone else ever look in the mirror and think "Hey, I don't look that bad!" but when you see a photo of yourself, you have the OMG moment where you're like "Holy crap, I look like a cow!" Yeah. That moment just happened. I saw a candid photo of me from three weeks ago and it was the first time I really saw how fat my legs and knees looked... I don't really see myself that way when I look in the mirror. Sure, I know I'm overweight but I thought I looked okay, you know? Just wow. Talk about motivation!


What do you see when you see yourself in a mirror versus in a photo? Do you see a difference like I do or is it the same?

ugh! i know the feeling

BrianSharpe

Race photos are particularly bad like that for me. Those photographers do it on purpose!

It's in their training manual.......they wait until they get either the worst possible angle, most embarrassing jiggle or capture you making a face looking like you are suffering terminal flatulence.

carrigsl

I am trying not to look in the mirror.

Last week a friend took a photo of me while we were at Zumba. (FYI, anyone in Boston, there are free Zumba classes on the Esplande on Tuesday nights at 6:00 pm. BIG FUN)

I saw the pic on facebook and was horrifed at how my arms look.
It motivated me to finally start using MFP.

littledumplings

So true this thread...i'm the same, got to a place where I think, yeah, I look good in the mirror...then I see a photo and want to cry! Body dysmorphia but the other way around! Also, I think I let myself get so big, as I didnt think I was that big? if that makes sense?

anneouel

I have a mirror (everyone who looks in it agrees) its full length and I swear the person who made it must have made it special cause it makes anyone look good in it. If I ever want a confidence boost I look in it, but then the camera goes "nope" and makes me look bad

welly5

This isn't quite the same but I was living in an apartment with a warped mirror that make my lower half look HUGE! I sort of knew the mirror was warped but after 6 months of living there with that being the only mirror I just accepted that was how I looked

One night I went out dancing and the bathroom had a full length mirror and I was SO SURPRISED by how much thinner lower half looked that I made my friend stand in front of the mirror too to see if she looked the same in real life and in the mirror. It was like instantly losing 10 pounds haha.

ThePhoenixRose

I am the exact opposite. I look in the mirror and think my arms look flabby, my thighs could be more toned, my stomach is too round, the list goes on....and then I see myself in photos and I'm like "oh...I actually look pretty small...."

^^This.

kaseysospacey

Yes! I was a bridesmaid on Saturday I was like-hey. I look pretty good. Then I saw wedding photos.

galegetsthin

Mine is the other way around. I look in the mirror and wanna yak. But, if I see a picture, I am like "Oh..... that ain't so bad.".

Catzwitch

I ahve this exact problem. I look in the mirror and think I look pretty ok, but I have to take pictures of myself to remind me that I am not! I was at 235 and thinking I still looked good until I saw pictures. Ick!

150930

yep. i stopped taking pictures. i will go with my eyes instead of the camera's. denial - i know. happiness - priceless.

kmm7309

Uh... yeah... this happens to me every time. I've been taking lots of full-body shots to have for when my weight is gone, to document my journey. Every time I take a picture I want to cry, because I look like a house. My best friend insists that these are good pictures, but I don't like them. I know I have a long way to go, but you would think that 40+ pounds down and I would be happy with myself!

I think the biggest problem is how badly I've AVOIDED photos my whole life. So I don't really know what I looked like in photos before, above the neck.

summer8it

I really think it's because when we're looking in the mirror, we naturally position our head and body in the most flattering pose. We can't do that when someone is taking a photo of us!

You're onto something here. I got a little bit of model training from Teresa Tapp, one of my fitness gurus, and WOW was it enlightening. So much can be done just be changing the angle of your body, the way you point your toe, the way you tilt your chin.... It's changed the way I pose for photos forever!

Posture also makes a huge difference in how heavy or slim you appear to be, so if someone snaps a candid photo when you're slumping, of course it's going to look horrible.

ElliieMental

Oh my god! This has just happened to me. I mean I look in the mirror and think I look ok, i have a great night, boogy with my hubby and feel like a princess (even though i know i'm not really a princess) then the next day i see a picture and it takes me 6 months to summon the courage to go out again :grumble:

I am supposed to be going out for hubby's birthday in a week but its only a week since i last felt this trauma - i don't want to go out feeling like a freak cos i just wont be much fun :sad:

HURLEYX3RO

Yes! Oh God Yes!!!!

That was how my weight loss journey started.

In high school I weighed about 140 lbs and wore a size 5.

Fast Fwd 4 years after graduation. I ended up weighing 220 lbs. :noway:

When I looked in the mirror, I saw chubby-ness, but thought it wasnt that bad.

When I took pics of myself, it was always flattering angles.

Then, my brother is the one handling the camera on a family outting.

I saw the pics and was discusted!!!!! My belly was hanging over my shorts, my shorts were riding up in the middle, I was wearing a grey and black striped tank top.

Oh it was God awful!

katy84o

This happened to me this past Christmas, I was holding my nephew and it was a side photograph that luckily my boyfriend took so no one else has a copy , but I saw it and I just cried. I had previously lost 30lbs, and within a year I gained it all back and more. I was so disappointed in my self, and it was the moment where I really saw what I looked like. January I joined MFP and then slowly started adding friends. I slacked for a few months but i'm on a roll now, adjusted to my new lifestyle, and totally happy with all of my achievements. I looked at the photo the other day and I wasn't as upset because I know i'm changing that and I will never have that feeling again.

Meg_78

I am the exact opposite. I look in the mirror and think my arms look flabby, my thighs could be more toned, my stomach is too round, the list goes on....and then I see myself in photos and I'm like "oh...I actually look pretty small...."

This is how I feel, I don't like the way I look at all in real life or the mirror, then I see a pic and think oh wow, it's not that bad, but that little spark of confidence only lasts a few minutes. (though now I think about it there were a few pics of me looking too thin, almost sickly when I went through some stress and that prompted me to consider putting on weight in the first place, and my pregnancy pics were never pretty either, total moon face!) And pics of my face Suck!!

r1ghtpath

i posted about this yesterday. i am ok with the pics i take of myself, but ughhh. the ones others take are not my friends :-(

i was feeling pretty good about myself until yesterday morning. a friend put pics of me up on Facebook from sat night. and they look SOOOO different than the ones i took of MYSELF saturday night.

i don't go out, ever. i did on sat thinking i was looking better, LOL!!!!!

EBFNP

Its amazing that as individuals we are all unique, however, most of us have similar thought process and insecurities. I go through the same thing. Last year when I lost about 10 lbs to get to about 220, I thought I looked decent. I look at pics now after losing an additional 30 lbs and wonder how in the world I thought I actually looked cute at the time. lol.. I looked horrible and fat. Even going back 4 years ago and looking at pics in college I realize how big I was. I never saw myself as being that big. Its amazing!!! Seriously! I know I have lost a lot of weight since then, but now I understand why I never got hit on as much by men or asked out. I was fat even though people said I didn't look fat. BS!! A picture can tell a thousand words. I rather go by pics now because I see myself in the mirror daily, and I know it can be difficult to see that I'm getting bigger. It really gives you a clear picture how you really look most of the time. We look at ourselves daily, so its more difficult to distinguish 10 lbs from the norm, IMO.

Runs4CupCakes

i noticed my clothes getting tight never really thought about it, i have a fav shirt that says save second base, and i noticed its so tight and i saw i pic of me in it and my fav jeans talk about a wake up call,

rlcarpenter08

yep that was from friends! they were watching ross/monica/rachels prom video
LOVE that show!

This being in reference to the "how many cameras were actually on you" post

lolagurlx0x0

Same thing happened to me yesterday.. Bleh- spent the whole day doing family photos- every one made me go NOOO- I like me too- I just wasnt clothing prepared for the photoshoot i guess.


PS- Your thighs and calves look great in your pic!!<--- Swear im not a creeper.

MSepp

Does anyone else ever look in the mirror and think "Hey, I don't look that bad!" but when you see a photo of yourself, you have the OMG moment where you're like "Holy crap, I look like a cow!" Yeah. That moment just happened. I saw a candid photo of me from three weeks ago and it was the first time I really saw how fat my legs and knees looked... I don't really see myself that way when I look in the mirror. Sure, I know I'm overweight but I thought I looked okay, you know? Just wow. Talk about motivation!


What do you see when you see yourself in a mirror versus in a photo? Do you see a difference like I do or is it the same?

I have good and bad days. I look at myself in the mirror and think I look great, but then look at a picture of myself and think I look terrible...

or I have days I look in the mirror and could swear I look fatter than the previous day. My fiancee tells me it's all in my head and I don't look any different. A lot of times bloating affects this.

em3120

I know I have lost 33 pounds, 10 inches off my waist (Thanks to the 30 day shred!), and dropped 4 pants sizes and I feel great and so much healthier. I look at myself in the mirror in my bathroom and think I look great and am so proud of my progress. I was at the mall a few days ago trying on clothes and was so happy with how I looked in a pair of jeans that I bought them. They were even a size smaller than I usually wear in the same brand! Of course, I still have my days where I avoid the mirror but I usually feel good about myself. But then I looked at pictures of me from Thanksgiving and I looked so horrible in all of them! My skin looked terrible, my face looked so round, and I looked so much heavier! Why is this!?!? I panicked when I saw one of me because it occurred to me that it could actually be how people see me, not the view I see in the mirror! I feel like I have a skinny girl mind locked in a fat girl body!