Why Do I Look Fat in Pictures: Know Why & How to Fix It

Photography Feb 23, 2024

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Standing in front of my mirror, looking good and perfectly normal for the photoshoot. Taking a selfie and a few more pictures. Feeling confident about the outcome before looking at them. Now when I finally do look at the pictures, I look so fat. I don’t remember looking this fat in the mirror last time I checked, so why do I look fat in pictures? This is a common story of most of the women. Wondering why you look fat in the pictures? Because you are fat. You have put on weight while having that extra slice of pizza last night. You should start dieting now.

Calm down. I was just kidding. These are the common thoughts of humans. Not only women, but men also go through this kind of confusion. But honestly, I hated the start of this blog. I do, even if I’m the one who is writing these blogs. I hate this because this is the thought of almost every girl nowadays. Even if they are in good health, they will feel insecure about their looks and sometimes feel ugly as well. I don’t think anybody's shape can define your beauty. I hate the unrealistic beauty standards that society and some upper-class clothing/fashion brands have set. However, I get the point that nobody wants to look fat in the picture. Then what to do? Let’s find out.

Why do I Look Fat in Pictures?

Before any action, you should know the reason. There can be tons of reasons behind looking fatter in images than in real life. So, before talking about what to do if you look fat, let’s talk about your concern “Why do I look fat in pictures?”.

1. Unsuitable clothes

I know this might not sound very pleasant or can sound unrealistic as well, but clothes are not so good trends to follow. The trendy clothes that you have been looking up on Instagram are just a strong social marketing strategy of big brands. Not every clothe will complement your body type.

Not every clothing is meant for everybody. What fits and looks good on you, not necessarily will look good on another person as well. Clothes and fashion of clothes, style varies from person to person. This is one of the main reasons why you look fat in photos.

2. Wrong Poses

Posture and gesture can also variously drive the picture. Wrong posture can make you look fat in pictures. For example, wide angles would make you look wider as well. If you are taking a picture standing very close to the camera, you will look wide. Anything that covers the camera frame widely would appear large in the picture.

Let’s go into a more detailed conversation. If you think your hips are too big for the picture then you should move your hips away from the camera. Because the closer the hips get, the camera will represent it as a large and wide hip.

3. Wrong Camera Angles

Chemistry is necessary. In every sector of life, you will need chemistry to move forward and photography isn’t any different. Even here you will need body shape concerns. Just to make it clear, you might look better in a low-angle shot rather than a high-angle shot. Since most people look good in low angles. Why you may ask!

You see when the camera is taking the picture from the upper angle it will make you look short and wide. Which is kind of fat. And on the other hand, a low-angle shot will make you look tall and thin. In short, slim and tall. And if you are taking a selfie then try to take the picture from as decently far as you can. You are not gonna kiss our camera, keep it away from your face. Keep a distance. That will make a noticeable difference.

4. Lights Focusing Wrong Ways

Lightings are the illusions of a higher surface and a lower surface, which catches the light most and which catches the least. Your home lights and outdoor lights won’t be the same. Because your home light could be the same the whole year but the outdoor lights are changing every second. Morning and noon’s lights won’t be the same. you never know what kind of light you will face. That mostly depends on the weather.

Take out your phone and stand in front of the mirror. Open the phone flash and hold in from the top lighting your face. What do you think? Do you look fat? Might be a little but not too much. Now try to hold it from the side but far from the face still focusing on the face. Now you might look slimmer than before. Now hold the flash exactly under your face. Horrifying, right? Because it will make you look super fat. So, lighting matters.

What Is the Solution Then?

There are also plenty of solutions and tricks that you can follow to not look fat in the pictures. From which you might look slimmer in the pictures. Let’s talk about it…

1. The Clothes You Wear

As I said previously, you are buying the clothes that you don’t need in real life. That might not suit your body in a flattering way. If you don’t want to look fat, you should not buy everything that you see on the internet or from any influencer. You should feel confident about what you are wearing and feeling comfortable with. Let’s see what you should try to look slimmer in pictures.

• When you are layering your clothes, make sure the outfit fits you perfectly. Not too baggy or tight for your body. Also, make sure you have ironed them properly before putting them on. Because wrinkles can also make you look fat on camera.
• You can go for a body compressor or shapewear. These will keep your body slim and attractive. It will create the illusion of a slimmer body.
• Avoid prints and focus on patterns. Especially vertical patterns, because it will make you look taller and slimmer. Prints will do the exact opposite.
• Don’t make or buy any dress that is too curvy and doesn’t go with your body type. Put on dresses that suit your body type that look naturally beautiful on you and also complement your body nicely.
• Why do you guys stop wearing high-waisted jeans? High-waisted jeans make your appearance tall. It will instantly make your legs look longer.

2. Identify Your Body Shape

There are different types of body types but you might find your body type in one of these body types. Find out which body type you have. Body types are important because they help you decide which type of clothes to choose from.

But I would love to take the opportunity and say, wear whatever you like. Whatever makes you confident and makes you happy. But if you are confused and don’t know what to do then you might want to check on the internet what is your body type and what suits your body type.

3. Experiment with Colors and Patterns

The color theory comes with skin tone. What is your skin color and what suits your skin color? For example, if you are a dark-skinned beauty then you might appear wider in over bright colors like pastel yellow or any neon color. These colors appear large. You might be able to rock in them and style them in a very attractive way, but they would give the illusion of being big. At the same time no matter what skin color you have, black will make you look slim. Black is a color that makes the look classy and puts a fit illusion on the face of the wearer.

Already talked about pattern theory previously. Go for patterned outfits that appear slim to the eye of the viewer more than prints.

Here you can see a clear difference between prints and patterns. So you choose yourself now, where to go.

4. Chemistry with the Camera

Yes, touched on this topic slightly above. Camera chemistry is important for the outcome. You will see that models and actresses can portray themselves in a graceful manner that might be hard to achieve for you and a person like me. Make the camera your best friend. Feel the connection and embrace it regularly.

Let’s elaborate on this. Maintain the distance with a camera and see how well you can make eye contact with the camera. This is my little trick. If you think the camera distance makes your expression uncomfortable then you should adjust it. Or else the camera will catch the uncomfortable expression.

Look at the picture. If the camera is too close to the face it instantly makes the facial features look a bit wide. The nose and forehead will automatically look fat. And moving back will make it look smaller. At the same time too, distance will also lose the purpose of focusing on one thing. So, it’s necessary to keep the perfect distance.

5. The Double Chin Dilemma

Faces and bodies are people’s most insecure parts. Talking about the face, I know most of you want to hide the double chin from your picture. It's simple to do. What I do in most of the pictures is tuck the back of my tongue upwards, touching my mouth-ceiling while clothing my mouth. That will help you to hide the double chin.

most of the pictures is tuck the back of my tongue upwards, touching my mouth-ceiling while clothing my mouth. That will help you to hide the double chin. Another is angle. The angle of the camera and the face is the catch. There are several angles that you might want to try. Like a full face from a distance, 3/4 view, profile faces, and 2/3 view from a little top, these angles help to create a sharp jawline. In short, no-double-chin.

Conclusion

Lastly, I don’t like to say things like choosing slim or thin to fit into the category of beauty that has been set by society. But what I do want to say is, stay healthy and stay fit. Embrace your body shape and body type. Because everyone is different and that is what makes them unique. Why do you want to fit in someone else’s glass slippers?

But again, another side says, it’s your own body, your decision. If you want to make it look slim, do it. If you want to appear fat, do that as well. You do you. If you want to make that happen by working out then you can do it by dieting. If you don’t want to diet, do it by some tricks with photography. If you don’t even want that then you can be handed over to Color Clipping Ltd. Why? Because they can make you do shape-shifts with the magical tool of photo editing services. So, if you need any kind of photo editing and retouching services try their service for one.

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Anika Wahab

Hello, it's Anika, Content Executive from Color Clipping Ltd with a devotion to contributing my skills and knowledge more simply. Keep learning and growing with us.