Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Self-Perception and Photos


I overheard a conversation between two high school girls the other day.  It went something like this “Oh you posted that pic to Facebook?  I hate that picture of me, I look fat and ugly!”  The girl saying this was slightly overweight and she was clearly frustrated with the way she looked in the photo.  After hearing this I started thinking how many times I have been in that same situation, hating the way I looked in a photograph.  Trying to make sure I was photographed from a good angle.

In all honesty I don’t feel like I look.  I feel much smaller than what I am and when I see a picture of myself I always think is that how I really look?  I really believe I am a skinny girl trapped in a fat girl’s body.  I dream about what it is like to be skinny.  I often wonder how I will feel or what my body will look like after I lose all the weight.  I have never been skinny and cannot imagine what it will be like when I get there.

The thoughts are what keeps me motivated on days when I really want to stuff my face or give up all together.  I want my outside to look like how I feel on the inside.  I don’t want to there to be a disconnect of my self-perception and the picture. 

This is me today, feeling confident and pretty on the inside. Here's to making it show on the outside.
 
Until next time,

Amanda

14 comments:

  1. One of the reasons I don't take pictures of myself is because I don't like the way I look although I have lost 30 lbs over the past year I still don't look right. I am so glad you took the plunge now you are making me want to start at least doing some headshots thank you for that.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words! Congrats on your 30 pound loss!

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  2. You look confident and pretty on the outside! You are beautiful. I am the same way - I never see myself in the mirror as I actually am...I go back and forth between seeing myself bigger or smaller. I've often wondered if I actually have body dysmorphic disorder or something. Anyway, you look great!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. It is so hard not to focus on the negative sometimes.

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  3. First of all, I love your blog :) We have similar interests and that's awesome! :) You are beautiful and especially if you're beautiful inside, it shows on the outside. I struggle with self perception myself and feel exactly they way you feel---I feel different than how I look, some days it bothers me and I can't stand to look at myself and others I just push forward. I'm working on that but all I know is that I try to be the best person I can be and I hope that I can make the changes I need to achieve the look that I want. Thank you for sharing your feelings today :)

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    1. You are too sweet! Thank you for all your kind words of encouragement.

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  4. I really, really enjoyed this blog post! I tend to side with you- I typically feel smaller than I am when I look at pictures taken of me- which can be disheartening. I really love that you use this as a motivator to get where you want to be- I think that is great and so positive! You look great, confident and happy- those things are important & I'm glad that you feel confident in who you are- YOU SHOULD! Thanks for an encouraging post :)

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    1. Thank you for reading! I am so glad that you enjoyed the post.

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  5. You look fabulous and you know what, it is the inside that counts. I too struggle with my weight and feel skinny inside but sure am not on the outside.

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    1. Thank you for reading! I genuinely appreciate your kindness.

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  6. You look great! Congrats on your progress thus far, keep going!

    - Caitlin @ Weights and Measure

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. I really needed them today. Thanks for reading!

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  7. I do that all the time with pictures too. I enjoyed this article which discusses the issue, you may find it interesting too http://myfriendteresablog.com/so-youre-feeling-too-fat-to-be-photographed/comment-page-70/

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    1. Katie that is a wonderful post. Thank you so much for sharing! I plan on sharing it in a blog post later this week.

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