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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Jessica DeFino

Photos of myself make me shudder in horror. Does that mean I’m hideous?

An illustration of someone taking a photo of a woman on a cellphone
In the roughly 200 years since the invention of the camera, photography has become a key way people in modern societies look at the world … Illustration: Lola Beltran/The Guardian

Hello Ugly,

Photos of myself make me shudder in horror. I focus on my eyes (small and pouchy) my skin (pasty) and my chin (large and spotty). Very Henry VIII! These are all ongoing insecurities, but day-to-day, I am content with how I look. Occasionally, I even feel pretty. So it’s hard not to be convinced, when I see a photograph of myself, that I am under a horrible illusion of being happily average-looking and am actually pretty hideous. This is made even worse when I see a photo as being terribly unflattering and others say it’s nice! I am aware this is quite superficial, but it makes me really upset. Which is the truth here? Because surely an average-looking person would not have every photo looking so awful it actually hurts.

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