Smiling in Photographs

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It took me a long time to figure out what it meant to smile when I had a picture taken.

I remember when I was very little, my mom telling me to smile. So, I'd have my mouth closed and pick up the corners of my lips. But I guess that didn't look happy enough, because my mother still complained.

I asked her, "What do you mean by 'smile' then?" She told me, "You show your teeth."

I was a little confused, but I did as I was told. I showed my teeth. Or, rather, I bared all my teeth, top and bottom, as far back as my mouth could stretch. I now have photos from my 6th birthday where I look like a wild creature trying to scare off a threat.

It took a couple years before I realized, "OHHHH, you're supposed to LOOK HAPPY in photos! I get it now!"

It was a really awkward revelation, because it suddenly seemed so common sense. Yet, I still didn't understand it until I was about 7 years old. Even after that, smiling in photos felt wrong. It seemed so fake. I thought that I should only smile if I was genuinely happy in that moment. I've gotten past that (of course, as my avatar shows.)

However, it makes me wonder. Since poor recognition of facial expressions is a common aspie trait, has anyone else had issues (or funny stories they want to share) related to smiling for photographs?

When I was younger, my parents took us kids for a photography session with one of those companies that does those family portrait things. I was little, so I don't really remember it, but apparently, the woman who was doing it said something to me about where to stand twice, and I didn't respond. The third time she said it, I apparently realised she was talking to me and said 'Oh, I didn't know you were talking to me because you are very cross-eyed.'

Awkward...



And yeah, that's my issue with 'posed' photos. Why do I have to look happy if I'm really not?

I try my best to look happy in all of my photos, but my mom says that you can tell that my smiles are fake. It's not surprising, since my default expression makes people think I'm sad when I'm actually not.

Growling, i was growling in the few photos of me that was taken as a child.

Truth be told, I really don't like having my picture taken to this day.


TheSunAlsoRises

I don't like getting my picture taken and won't show my teeth when getting a picture taken. I have a chipped tooth and I don't like the way it looks.

Once in a school picture they held a piece of paper or something in front of my mouth when I wouldn't smile. Maybe to make it easier to edit a smile in later? I don't know, I never saw the picture. I also remember them saying something like "say men" instead of "say cheese" which I found to be creepy because I was only 12 or maybe just turned 13 at the time.

Last edited by hanyo on 18 Mar 2012, 3:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

See, with me I had an easy time smiling for photos when I was younger. You said "Cheese" smiled and it was over. Now as a teenager until now I have a hard time smiling in photographs. I find it really hard to fake a smile and sometimes I have a hard time doing so. The only time I find it easy to smile for photos is when I'm drunk. Yeah I usually try to keep my mouth closed when posing in a photo, I don't like having my teeth shown.

Same here. I don't know how many time I've had to tell people, "No, I'm not sad", or "I'm just thinking."

it makes me feel extremely weird to smile in photos. its unnatural. i only smile if i have something to smile about. it just feels extremely awkward.

I find that I don't know how to smile in pictures. My dad said that for my Christmas photos I was looking like we were at a funeral.

I get that all the time from people, especially at work. They say I look "P-O'd" about something or that I look overly concerned or worried. I don't even realize I am doing it or that my facial expressions don't match how I am feeling.. Now at least I may have some idea as to why........It's gonna take awhile to make that adjustment; as I have been doing this for most of my 42 years.... .

I don't usually smile in photos. Someone always has to remind me to. Otherwise my pictures might look like I am depressed about something, that whole "I just lost my dog" look (I don't have a dog).

I have always smiled in photographs. I think it has always come natural for me. I am not smiling in all of them of course. Then there are some where I look weird and some where I look unhappy because I didn't want to have my photos be taken and my parents pushed it on me and I was not happy in the photo. I have also been told my smiles were fake. That be when I would force a smile on my face because I was taught when there is a camera and your photo gets taken, you smile. But if I am doing my own thing and people want to take my photo, they will get an attitude if they try and get me to smile because that means stop what I am doing, look at the camera and I don't like being interrupted. That is why I would look so unhappy in my photos as a child.

Somewhere along the line I lost the ability to smile for the camera. Now I look quite freaky most of the time.

Jason

You don't need to smile in pictures. Requiring people to smile in pictures is an unnecessary social construct.

I absolutely hate it. And I am on of these people who just hate themselves on photographs that are taken of them. It's funny that all my life I've been made to feel ashamed of the way I look and still people expect me to smile on photographs...

^^ Yeah, it's one of these odd things.

< That's the best I can do.

Smiling is mostly in the eyes, anyway. Even NT smiles in photos look fake.