"That's a Good Photo of You"

Have you ever experienced this:
You are looking at a photo of yourself and thinking something like "Ugh!" or "Does my [hair, face, nose, butt] really look that [big, fat, flat, huge, fluffy, thin]?" Invariably the person next to you will say, "Oh, that's a good picture of you!"

Shocked, you are thinking, "Really? You think THIS is a good picture of me?"

In photos, my hair tends to be a funny, brassy color with roots showing, it never lies down right and is often frizzy. My eyes are squinty, especially if I'm smiling. My profile is flat and I recently learned that I have a double chin. A double chin! My legs look pale, veiny and well, lumpy. And those jeans I liked were actually "Mom" jeans. (My stomach does not bulge like that, does it?)

While discussing this post with my friend Gary, he admitted that a lot of photos don't look quite like me. He said photos take away "the edge" I have, described me as a little "saucy" and said photos make me look much nicer than I am. I think he was complimenting me. At the very least Gary gives me vindication!

However, I'm still confused. How on Earth can there be so many bad photos of me?

Photos to come tomorrow!

PS: I have been at the other end of this, too. There are times when a friend shows me a picture so happy with the result and I think, "That is NOT a good picture of you." Or, "You do NOT look like that."