Marketers have conditioned us to see in pictures all that we “could” or “should” be so that we’ll buy their products. We’ve been trained since childhood to look at pictures as aspirational symbols of perfection. Truth is, we scold ourselves for not looking less human. Circle those flabby arms with red ink! Oh, add those bags under my eyes, more points deducted for imperfection! We dehumanize ourselves. Soon, nothing else matters.Ī body is all we see–a flat, one-dimensional object we can choose to critique like a teacher looking for wrong answers on a test. Instead, we zoom the lens of our own eyes onto our bodies. In fact, we don’t even notice the magnificence of the location. We forget how the photo symbolizes the fun we had. We mentally block out the people smiling around ( or at) us. When we see a picture of ourselves - and are in a struggle with body image - we only see ourselves in one dimension, physically. The clinical answer as to why looking at pictures hurt is objectification. So, why do we hate having those moments marked with a picture? Where’s the disconnect? We had fun spending time with our friends or making memories with our families. In most cases, we still enjoyed being there. You’d rather not be in the photo.īut, here’s the strange thing. Or, maybe your on vacation with the family and a kind passer-by notices you taking the photo of the rest of the family and says, “Why don’t you jump in the picture too?” You wave him off. Someone pulls out their phone to take a group photo for Facebook and you suddenly have to go to the bathroom. Let’s say you’re at a party with friends and not feeling great about your outfit or body. Only the “perfect” should be photographed? Only the “good-looking” are valuable enough to be in pictures? Intellectually, we know that’s not true–but I wonder what we communicate when we say “Oh, no, please! I don’t want my picture taken!” Numerous blog posts have been written on the topic, but by staying out of the picture I wonder what you’re actually communicating to those around you. I repeat: The solution is not to avoid pictures. The odds are high that nothing you can do to “fix” your “selfie” will make you satisfied with how you look in photos. Models still struggle with how they look in pictures. Your body image is how you feel about the way you look. Friend, not liking how you look in pictures isn’t a body problem, it’s a body image problem. Since the advent of selfies, plastic surgery rates have skyrocketed as women make “looking perfect” in photographs a life goal.

The Solution is Not in a Diet or Surgery to Get the “Perfect Selfie” If you hate the way you look in pictures, then I have some advice that I hope you’ll find helpful. And, they can cause our body image issues to flare in a way that even mirrors or the scale can’t match. They can serve as unpalatable evidence of the gap between what we actually look like and what we want to look like. Just spread your fingers apart to enlarge that image and get a better view of how the flesh bulges under your arm pit, or how your thighs touch from top to bottom. But, now we can see each of our photos in whatever size we choose on our screens. It was bad enough when we had printed photos to hold up and wrinkle our noses at. I’ve felt it too.Įvery photo presents a new opportunity to critique, scrutinize, and tear ourselves apart. “Help, I hate pictures of me!” I hear it all the time.

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