Why selfies are distorted, especially noses
This is one of the more depressing—albeit minor—pieces of news I’ve read in a long time:
Last year, more than half of plastic surgeons were approached by patients who wanted to look better in selfies, according to a survey by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
Talk about technology taking over! I’m not sure whether those requesting a nose fix actually realize that selfies are not reality but nevertheless consider selfies more important than reality, or whether they believe that the way they look in selfies constitutes the reality of how they look.
At any rate, here’s the explanation for the big-nose-in-selfies phenomenon:
Most smartphone cameras have wide-angle lenses, says The Verge’s creative director James Bareham, and close-ups with wide-angle lenses cause distortion that makes objects closer to the camera ”” like, say, a nose ”” look larger. “It’s kind of one of the basics of photography: don’t shoot portraits on a wide-angle lens because you will look terrible,” Bareham says.
That’s what selfie sticks are for (or long arms, if you happen to have them), although I’ve noticed that selfie sticks don’t totally correct the problem.
Or maybe my nose has grown larger with age:
But cartilage – that’s the plastic-like stuff in ears and noses – cartilage continues to grow until the day you die. Not only does cartilage grow, but the earlobes elongate from gravity. And that makes ears look even larger.
So it’s really true. Older people do have larger noses and ears.
Fortunately, my nose didn’t start out all that large, and my ears and earlobes are still positively minuscule.
Even more fortunate, you know how to spell “minuscule.” That’s what I really admire in a woman.
Some females on Facebook put up new selfies quite often sometimes offering extreme close-ups that are really not flattering yet receive a kind of amen chorus of “You’re so beautiful!” in response. One tactic to justify an update is to dye one’s hair purple or blue (or green). These are as a rule not women I consider all that attractive, though I’m a tough audience and they may look much better enlivened by voice and general animation.
Some males also post such images.
I’m really not sure what many of these people are seeing when they gaze at their reflection, nor how any of this seemingly narcissistic activity affects what might still be defined as their ordinary life.
Selfies define for me a lot of what is wrong with our culture. It feeds the narcissism. I understand wanting to share a special picture (traveling?), but I have encountered among young family members, daily posts with just themselves in a picture. I choose to not respond to anything like that so as not to participate in the madness.
MIklos, I’ve thought the same thing many times, actually laughing to myself at the absurd comments of exclamation of beauty. So superficial.
Please forgive the nitpicking (can’t help myself) but wide angle lens actually make further objects look smaller. Close objects only appear larger because the objects that you compare them to are made smaller.
For those interested in portrait photography the recommended lens is a telephoto about 100mm. Nuetral lenses are about 50 to 55mm.
Doug Purdie beat me to it.
With the exception of extreme wide angle lenses, it is not really the lens at issue, rather it is the distance from lens to subject that changes the perspective.
Good portraiture lenses are 85 to 100mm on a 35mm film camera, which places the camera about 6 to 10 ft. away from the subject. A handheld cell phone is about 2 ft. away, and a selfie stick gets it 3 or 4 ft. away.
I’ve not spent any time with a cell camera but I just don’t see it as a replacement for a good point-&-shoot digicam with a 3X or better zoom lens.
TommyJay, I agree with you 100%. The cell camera has a place, but for any event or traveling I use my Sony DSCRX100M2. Super compact, can get complicated if you’re a professional, but for me an easy-to-carry camera that in automatic, shoots in low-light and then so easy to manage my photos. Back in 2015, I wasn’t sure which one I should buy and put out a lot of feelers, but could not be more satisfied with my choice.
LOL. Funny. Nobody knows your nose, There is a green apple in the way.
But …. I suppose that for some more or less pan-ethnically and well distributed number of the human population this nose growing, or swelling, business might be true.
My guess is that it would apply to a certain type of nose and cartilage formation … or “deposit”.
I can think of a number of elderly persons … in their 80’s and 90’s to whom this does not apply at all. Though their looks may have been somewhat atypical – i.e. stereotypically “cowboy” or 1920s Argosy cover detective – to begin with.
I don’t know whether retaining good looks is important to one at 80 or not. I suppose it depends on the individual.
Let’s hope that it is mostly the content of our character that counts.
Except in the case of women we seek to date, or course.
The ear lobes are behind the veil of curls and the left hand, so we really don’t know about them either. But it’s all good. 😉
There’s something called a Slim(ming) mirror that makes you look like you lost 5-10 pounds. This way the department store can sell clothing a bit more.
Not only does cartilage grow, but the earlobes elongate from gravity.
So that’s why they have the Buddha with the extremely long ears…