Self-image - Mirror vs Camera

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alucytoremember
alucytoremember Posts: 2
in Motivation and Support
Hey guys! So I often take photographs of my legs and body on my camera and I look so thin its crazy! My self image is high and I walk the streets with confidence. However, when I look in the mirror I see fat, fat everywhere. i seem so much bigger than in photographs! Does anyone else have this experience? It's quite hard to deal with! It can be so disheartening.I've attached a photograph which I took in a mirror and then of myself just to put into perspective the difference. Do you believe your mirror reflection or your camera?

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  • alucytoremember
    alucytoremember Posts: 2
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    kacumhwql4uj.jpg
  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,222 MFP Moderator
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    I don't see fat everywhere in the mirror. I know that I've lost a lot of weight. I definitely see the loss in the mirror. However, every once in a while, someone catches a picture of me that surprises me when I see just how small I've become. :)
  • TheSatinPumpkin
    TheSatinPumpkin Posts: 948 Member
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    we are our own worst critic.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    There's no difference... It's all in your head.
  • liekewheeless
    liekewheeless Posts: 416 Member
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    I'm the reverse, I feel I look bigger in pictures than in the mirror. I think that is because I have a wider frame and the weight loss is more apparent in 3D than picture.
  • Woomytron
    Woomytron Posts: 253 Member
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    There is no difference, and there isn't "fat everywhere". Like that was stated above, we are our own worst critics. We see flaws that no one else see.
  • Isabelle_1929
    Isabelle_1929 Posts: 233 Member
    edited October 2014
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    What do you mean, "do you believe your mirror reflection or the camera..." ? It's not a matter of believing, it's about knowing. So I get my weight from the scale and my measurements from a tape.

    And BTW, I think you should put this camera down for a while.

    Is your profile up to date ? Because I saw you still have to lose over 25 pounds.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    I think when we look in the mirror is a reflection of our views of ourselves, so if you have some body image concerns it can play out that you don't see yourself accurately in the mirror. I actually see myself as quite a bit slimmer than I am so am usually surprised at how big I am in camera pictures.
  • Mamahana82
    Mamahana82 Posts: 64
    edited October 2014
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    You are more critical of the image in the mirror because that is the version of you that you are most familiar with. It's mere-exposure. Usually people have a preference to that image because of its familiarity but if you are hypercritical of what you see in the mirror, a photograph can be different enough that you can see yourself with fresh eyes. By the way, however you see yourself in the mirror vs the photograph, people see you like the photograph. And they generally prefer the photograph to the mirror image of you.


    But that question answered, I think you look perfectly fine in both cases!
  • dramaqueen45
    dramaqueen45 Posts: 1,009 Member
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    I'm just the opposite. I don't feel fat when I look in the mirror but when I see a still photo of myself I think I look too heavy. I don't know why- maybe I can suck it in or keep my chin up so as not to show the double chin in the mirror, but the camera does not lie about weight.
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
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    So far I've lost 87 pounds… and I still am waiting to look in the mirror (or even just look down at my stomach or legs) and actually be able to tell that I've lost weight. I know that I have… the scales tell me so. The measurements tell me so. The clothes I wear tell me so. Practically the whole rest of the world tells me so. But when I look at myself, like you, I just see how much fat I still have. And even with photos, it's not until I compare them side by side that I can really see a difference.

    I think it's perfectly normal. We are our own worst critics and besides we live with ourselves. We see ourself not just everyday… but constantly throughout the day as well. Changes are hard to notice in ourselves.

    I would suggest rely on more objective measures of progress. The scale, measurements, how your clothes fit. And other NSV's, like being able to run faster or further or lift more. Or health measures from your doctor. If you feel confident in yourself, then throw away the camera and ignore the mirror. We see in both what our mind tells us is there.
  • 50sFit
    50sFit Posts: 712 Member
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    I see just what I want to see in the mirror.
    The camera is a cruel reality check.
    :(
  • 4ever420
    4ever420 Posts: 4,088 Member
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    It's weird, when I was much bigger I always saw myself bigger in pictures than in the mirror. Now that I've lost a lot of weight, it's the opposite and I am now surprised when I see how thin I am in pictures because I don't see myself that thin in the mirror.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
    edited October 2014
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    There is actually a scientific explanation for this.

    We see ourselves in the mirror daily, multiple times a day. We are used to ourselves, and we pick every single little change and are out own biggest critics.

    HOWEVER, when we see ourselves in photos... We're the other way around. We aren't seeing a mirror image, we're seeing ourselves as we really are - how others see us. It's a small change, but it's enough that what you see in the photo is not the same as what you see in the mirror/window/reflection multiple times a day. So because it is less familiar, because you don't know that image as well.

    People aren't symetrical, so your reflection and a photo of yourself actually look slightly different. Like ideantical twins but with minor environmental differences.

    Try an experiment. Have someone take a photo of you, then print it out normally but also print out a version where the photo has been flipped to a mirror image (you can do this in photoshop, or more self service photo printing booths can). Look at one photo, then the other (not side by side at first) and see which one you like better.

    Interestingly, the one you like better gives an indication of your current opinion on your physical self.

    If you like the non-mirrored one, it can indicate you have a lower opinion on your physical self, because it indicates that you pick flaws in your reflection but feel the less familiar photo looks better and that your objective opinion of yourself is higher than your subjective opinion.

    If you like the mirrored one better, it shows that you have a higher degree of confidence in your appearance, and that confidence can take a knock when you look at the less familiar picture (the old "I like how I look then see a photo and go "omg??" syndrome).

    Anyway, it's all quite interesting. But yes, there is a psychological reason why you have a different reaction to a photo of yourself than a reflection. It's all about perspective.
  • laineybz
    laineybz Posts: 704 Member
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    4ever420 wrote: »
    It's weird, when I was much bigger I always saw myself bigger in pictures than in the mirror. Now that I've lost a lot of weight, it's the opposite and I am now surprised when I see how thin I am in pictures because I don't see myself that thin in the mirror.

    This is more me lol.
  • fit_abbey
    fit_abbey Posts: 24
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    Also: A printed photo catches the exact image. But "viewing a picture" on a computer screen can be totally misleading, depending on the configuration of the screen and other digital elements. The wider the screen, the wider the butt. ;)

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