Why do we look so good in our selfies, but can’t ever take a good regular picture?

Ever since the creation of the front-facing camera (and Instagram), selfies have become a new phenomenon. Both women and men have become addicted to taking selfies. There’s even a show called Selfie (recently cancelled). One of the main reasons that the selfie has become popular because many people believe they look good or even better in selfie-cam. Why is that? In this article we’ll examine the reasons why the selfie makes you look better than you actually do.

#1) The front facing camera will slim out your face.

Since the camera is closer to your face, your facial proportions will change (this is known as lens distortion). Your face will look smaller, and your ears will pop out less. For people with wider / chubbier faces, this will make you look as if you shed some baby fat.

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The cautionary is that for people who are already slim in the face, the proportions may look a bit too extreme, making you look TOO skinny. Furthermore if you take the selfie too close, it makes your nose look much larger than it should be.

However, generally speaking, people with average to larger sized faces will feel better about their face after taking a selfie.

The selfie camera makes your face thinner, while also making your ears pop out less.

#2) You can see yourself before you take the shot.

When you take a picture of yourself, you can make micro-changes that affect the look of your shot to your liking. What I mean by this is you can change certain angles of your face to your preference, you can adjust your smile, you can fix the angle to be more flattering to your face, and you can also determine how much cleavage you want to show.

How many times has someone taken your picture but then realized your eyes look weird or your smile looks way too cheesy. With selfie-cam you’re already “pre-approving” the shot before it’s taken so when you snap the shutter you’re already cool with all the “settings.”

With a selfie you can adjust the angle of your face and your eyes in realtime, so you can snap the photo at precisely the right moment.

#3) A 3rd-party photographer won’t know what you think looks good.

Since beauty is relative, it’s very difficult for a 3rd-party photographer to create an image that fits to your liking. So when you ask that fellow on the street to take a picture of you and your friend, it’s most likely not going to be a great picture.

For example, you may prefer certain angles of your face (like an upwards angle or the left side of your face), but the photographer most likely won’t know that. Obviously, this would be different if you were getting photographed by an expert photographer, but the general average joe on the street is not going to be that precise, nor will he care how you look.

This is also the reason why you hear a lot of people saying they look bad or weird in their own photos when you think they actually look fine or normal in the photo. Since you look at yourself in the mirror everyday, you have a much better sense of what you think “looks good” or “looks bad.”

The 3rd party photographer who takes your photo probably doesn’t give a shit about how good you look.

#4) You usually add a filter to your images

Let’s be real here. Almost every girl and a lot of guys will alter their image. With the huge amount of filters on Instagram and/or VSCO cam, you’re bound to find a filter that hides your flaws and enhances your picture. Certain filters can help smooth out your skin texture, emphasize good shadows on the face, or even add contour to your jaw/face.

The filter helped to smooth out her skin and also lessen the appearance of undereye bags.

So there you have it! The four reasons why your selfies usually look better than when you have someone else take your photo.

Written by Editorial Staff