I'm not photogenic. Does it mean I'm ugly?

[Anonymous]

I'm a young woman. I think I look decent in mirrors, and while I'm not really thrilled about my face, a lot of people say I'm pretty and I get some attention from guys... but then people might be just saying that to be nice, and guys might be desperate or who knows, so it's no indication.

In most pictures I look awful, especially (obviously) in spontaneous pictures, you know, when you don't know you're being photographed. But then again sometimes when people take group pictures and such I also look bad... do you remember that friends episode where Chandler doesn't know how to pose for pictures? I get the same, and I always end up looking awful. I look so different in pictures than in real life, or the mirror at least.

Does it mean I'm actually ugly? What's a better indicator, pictures or the mirror?

[Anonymous]

It doesn't mean you are ugly. I know lots of people that look one way but always look worse in a photo, and I know other people that always look better in a photo. The mirror is a better indicator. For one thing you can move in front of a mirror so it adds a different dimension to your looks.

One reason they photo shop women in photos so often is because when women move in real life they sway back and forth giving off the illusion that they are thinner. Since a photo can't do that they photo shop it to make her super skinny in order to give her the same sex appeal she would have in real life. So most photos are never going to be as sexy as a real person.

[Anonymous]

Not at all, I use to know this one girl that was photogenic, she looked good in pictures, but I knew her in person, and even though those pictures are current, she is pretty much weird looking in person. I also knew this one girl that was just weird looking in her pictures, but drop dead gorgeous in person.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely not- you can be attractive and just not photogenic. I think I'm generally a pretty woman in an average way- not gorgeous but not ugly, just pretty. But I always look awkward, weird, or ugly in pictures. I seem always to be in motion in candid shots so I look awkward and in posed shots I kind of look fake- I just haven't mastered the art of looking natural in pictures, but I don't think it means I'm ugly.

I usually figure the mirror is a good indicator- you're more natural in it than in pictures.

[Anonymous]

Mirrors are much better than pictures. Spontaneous photos are awful, and should be banned.

[dommage]

no, sometimes really hot people aren't photogenic