We all have thought at least once “Do people see me how I see myself in the mirror?”
There were times when I have the same thoughts after seeing myself in the mirror. Especially when we were kids and have looked at the family album.
We used to ask each other why do your pictures not look the same as you do in the mirrors. But The answer to the question was unknown to us. We couldn’t figure it out until we went to school. There we came to know that the answer is very simple.
The image you see in the mirror is an inverted reflection of you and it’s flipped horizontally. That’s why the image you see in the mirror is different from what you actually look like. So, the simple answer is NO, people don’t see you the way you see yourself in the mirror.
Your actual appearance is not what you see in the mirror. If you need any proof, move your left hand while standing in front of the mirror, and your reflection will move its right hand.
No wonder why you find people asking, “are mirrors accurate?”
Why do I look different in pictures?
The way you see yourself in pictures is quite different from mirrored image. So you are not alone if you think why do you look bad in pictures?
This is the same “do people see me how I see myself in the mirror?” kinda situation.
The way you look in photographs is an actual representation of yourself. What you see in the mirror every day is saved in your mental memory and you are familiar with it. That’s why your mirror image looks good to you rather than your pictures. Since you see your mirrored image and not the actual image, you feel you look different in pictures.
How do other people see me?
Other people see you the way you actually are. If you have an idea of how you look in pictures then that is exactly what other people around you see you all day. Some people might ask that do people see you inverted. It is relevant and true to some extent only. People see your actual image, the way you are, but you see a mirrored image of yourself in the mirror.
In reality, you are the one who sees yourself inverted in real life. That’s because you see your flipped image in the mirror every day.
How to see yourself as others see you physically?
It is kind of impossible to see yourself physically as others see you. The only way you can get close to seeing yourself the way others see you is by taking a picture of yourself. The way you appear in pictures is quite close to what you actually look like.
Why does my face look uneven in pictures?
Your face does not look uneven in pictures it is just that you see your flipped image in the mirror all the time. We mentioned earlier that the reflection of yourself in the mirror is horizontally flipped. That’s why when you see your pictures, they don’t look that good to you.
The reason your face looks uneven in pictures is because of natural symmetry. No one is absolutely symmetrical from both sides. This lack of symmetry in your face may cause unevenness in pictures. However, you can hide, avoid, or lessen this unevenness by following pro photography tips.
What do you really look like?
The way you appear in the pictures is the actual image of yourself. This is what you really look like and how you appear in real life. The way you look in the mirror is different because it is a flipped image and you don’t look that way in real life.
Why does my face look crooked in pictures?
Your face does not look crooked in pictures it just appears a bit different. No one is absolutely symmetrical on both sides so you feel a bit different when your image is flipped. Since you are used to seeing your flipped reflection in the mirror, you may find it crooked in some pictures. The same reason why the faces of other people seem a little crooked when you see their pictures.
What is looking yourself in the mirror psychology?
This can be explained with the help of the mere-exposure effect. This means that you see yourself all day every day in the mirror and that flipped image is familiar to your eyes and mind, that is why it looks more attractive and appealing to you.
The mirror psychology effect is also called the familiarity principle. Your mind and eyes are familiar with the flipped reflection of yourself that is why you think you look good in the mirror and not in pictures.
Are mirrors accurate?
Mirrors actually show you the reflection of yourself which is made from rays of light. Since this image is flipped horizontally so it is not accurate. However, there are some mirrors in the market which can show you a non-reversed image of yourself. These are the mirrors which you can refer to as accurate mirrors.