Self perception is a funny thing. When you look in the mirror, is the person you see the same one you see in photos? Stories about those with eating disorders are rife with mismatched self images. A girl looks into the mirror and sees extra flab, when in reality her weight is normal. On the flipside, she looks in the mirror after purging and thinks she looks great, while a camera records her skeletal frame.
This extends beyond such extreme examples. There's a reason why we feel slightly uncomfortable or anxious when looking at pictures of ourselves, or hearing our voices recorded. Many times, what we see or hear in these third person imprints of ourselves isn't what we ourselves perceive.
Since we never see ourselves from all angles as others do, we have a limited view of what we look like. We formulate an image based on our narrow perspective - often from our best or worst angle. Thus, sometimes when I look at photos, the person that I see doesn't look exactly like the person I see in the mirror. It's as if I see the best version of myself in my reflection, and all photos are merely shades of me striving to match this Utopian image. In the best pictures, the me in the photo matches the me in the mirror. Make sense?
From this negotiation of self image springs the phenomenon of one's "good side". Over time, we establish what angle makes us look the "best". Flip through a few Profile Picture albums on Facebook (female skew) and you'll notice the same positioning of the head and body. It's my guess that this "good side" is the closest to our own self perception - our skewed version of ourselves.
Note on the photo: An example of photo image matching up with mirror image - aka what I believe to be a great photo of myself. Demonstrates the quintessential Natalie pose - chin slightly down, head tilted to the right.
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