Do we see ourselves as we are ?

The judgment we pass on our own body is never objective or based on purely aesthetic criteria. It feeds on all our intimate emotions, our personal history, and a lot of the esteem that we have for ourselves and that we have received, or not, from others. The development of body image thus begins in childhood, and evolves throughout life, with a key period at puberty, rich in physical and hormonal upheavals. It is difficult for adolescents to remain insensitive to the comments of those around them, to the remarks of their peers, or to the guilt-inducing advertisements that bombard them with images of stereotyped bodies outside the norm... In adulthood, many are still those who pass their time denigrating their bodies. The reasons for dissatisfaction are infinite, at least as numerous as the parts of our body and our demands on them. One of the most frequent points of dissatisfaction? The weight.

Why do we look ugly in photos?

Because we don't look like what we are used to seeing, namely our reflection in the mirror ! By dint of crossing this version of ourselves every morning in the bathroom, it has become familiar to us to the point of developing a positive feeling towards it : this is called the effect of mere exposure. But there is a problem… Our reflection is an inverted image that does not match what others see and what a camera picks up. Because the face, like the rest of the body, is asymmetrical (the left eye can be larger than the right, or vice versa, etc.). As a result, when we are not used to seeing ourselves in photos, this asymmetry is obvious to us. As for selfie lovers, they are often victims of barrel distortion, an optical phenomenon specific to the wide-angle lens, which smartphones are equipped with in particular. This tends to round the center of the image, giving the impression that the person taking the picture has a big nose... To preserve the features of his face, only one solution: respect a minimum distance of 150 cm with the camera lens.

Does daring to show oneself make you stronger?

The more you voluntarily expose yourself to others, the more you will be able to accept yourself as you are, as a worthy person as a whole. Easier said than done when you have a physique deemed unsightly in a society where  beauty reaps all the favors. Sociological studies show that beautiful people are considered more intelligent, more ambitious, warmer, more sociable, more balanced and less aggressive than ugly people. The rise of social networks has not helped matters. With them emerged the obsession with an aesthetic still to be perfected.

Body positive encourages diversity and self-esteem

But many women oppose this trend by posting photos of their natural bodies on social networks, following the body positivity movement born in the United States. However, you have to take a step back to ignore the remarks... "If you have an opinion about my body, please don't share it with me", asked Nicola Coughlan, the actress of the series Bridgerton. In fact, whether the comments are positive or negative, it is another way of being pointed out as atypical. As long as there is distinction, there is an indirect relationship to the norm. It could even strengthen the canons of beauty. To put an end to the stigma, all physical types should be represented in the media. This is still far from being the case.