Fear of having photo taken? Body dysmorphia?

[misslideaway]

I have never been a real fan of having my photo taken but in the last 10 years- this has gotten worse and worse - I avoid camera's like the plague.

Desite my plees, I often get cornered and people will take my photo anyway. This does not help the cause as I normally have a panicked or uncomfortable look on my face- so the photo is always awful.

The way I feel about this is getting worse- to the point where I feel sick and/ or cry about it if I'm forced to have my photo taken or when I see the resulting photo.

Facebook is the bain of my life as everyone posts every single photo to the site - I untag myself as I cant bear to see the photo. If I thought people would understand I would ask them to remove the photo entirely.

I think my friends possibily think its vanity - but its really not. None of my friends or family understand how I feel about this.

Has anyone suffered this kind of phobia? After lots of internet research - the only thing I can find is body dysmorphia. I'm not sure that explains it...

[mrs_overall]

I'm sure most people don't like having their photo taken, me included, but you seem to be getting your knickers in a twist over it.
Next time someone points a camera at you, take a deep breath and smile. You may be pleasantly surprised at the result.

[Sqad]

Olive........did it do any thing for you?

Have you noticed anything?

[Bbbananas]

I bet that even Sandra Bullock doesn't like some of her photographs.

And all those other starlets and tartlets - most of the medial photographs and airbrushed and touched up.

If I had a 100 photographs taken of me (and Plaid has always got his Canon Sureshot out...) I bet I would personally like about 6 of them.

[Bbbananas]

I'm becoming illiterate... sorry.

[sn�gs]

I'm a great believer in Photoshop...

[Sqad]

chrome://thumb/http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/07/28/arti cle-1202631-05DDEB7F000005DC-762_468x738.jpg

Surely you don't want to look like that......a red tie?

[Bbbananas]

Aaarrgh, Lemon Gambit Opoid or whatever his name is. Now there is a deluded man... mind you - the women who flock to him must be a little deluded also.

[Sqad]

salla.....deluded? Give me some of that delusion.........I bet he's not worried about being deluded....LOL....or having his photograph taken......LOL

[Seadragon]

Well I think its obvious sqad that you're the ugly one! So I would stick to using the 25 year old photograph of yourself and hope that eventually one does not run away.

Misslideaway, what might help is to have someone you are comfortable with, take lots of facial photo's of you, smiling, laughing etc, using preferably a digital camera, so photos can be deleted and retaken and then maybe you may find a facial pose that isn't so bad and you can adopt the next time your photo is taken? Take the photo's yourself if you don't want to ask anyone.

[Sqad]

Seadragon....LOL no arguments there.

[Eve]

I know someone who is exactly the same.

I am surgically attached to my camera but respect the way she feels and reassure her I won't take any photos of her and give her the chance to move out the way if I'm taking something like a room shot.

Our boss thinks it's really funny to sneak up and take photos of her to wind her up though!

It's a shame to not have her in photos but I respect the way she feels and I'm sure your friends, if they are friends, would too.

I have issues with photos other people take of me (I can control those I take) especially as I have suffered from eating disorders on and off for most of my life and used to be significantly thinner than I am now.

I often feel embarrassed about the way I look now, especially for people who knew me back when I was a lot thinner but I'm tried to make myself more relaxed about it by trying to reconcile with myself that it's the person who is important, not how big I look etc...

Outside influences are really not helpful too, my ex had issues with my weight and appearance and my mum has always had problems with my weight and has recently taken to nagging me about it as my brother's wedding is coming up and she keeps reminding me how I will be photographed.

They certainly don't help with the body issues but I know I have to carry on and work on my own self image regardless of them, in spite of them, not because of them and it becoming negative.

I've found cognitive therapy very helpful with this and I've started to become far more relaxed about my image in general and facebook tagging etc...

[tamborine]

sqad third time lucky thank goodness you're not my surgeon! :p

[Lore]

I really dislike having my photo taken too. I tend to cover my face quickly or turn my head. :o/
I also get days where I can't look in the mirror - I'll do the hair and face but won't look in the full length mirror to see the whole view.
I think it all comes down to the fact that I'm not happy with the way I look. - which, only I can change.

[jno]

for cultural reasons, Arabs often dislike being photographed, but Chinese people love it. So there's nothing unusual about not liking it. All the same, your reaction does seem extreme. But only you can sort out why this is. Maybe it's your looks? Maybe you don't like people taking 'souvenirs' of you?

As to what to do about it: Just say no. If someone gets a camera out, step back, walk away until it's over. If anyone asks why, just explain calmly that you don't like having your photo taken and that your reasons are private.

But if it's making you cry, and if you can't even look at yourself in photos, then it sounds as if it's disrupting your life, and if that's the case it would be well worth sorting out exactly why you feel this way so you can deal with it.

[Sqad]

tambo....thought that you would be impressed

[ummmm]

If someone points a camera at me there is a good chance that I'll hit them!!!

[Stellabella]

I am so glad to find someone like me who shares my exact problems I am a very awkward and self-concious person and I can feel uncomfortable in pretty much any social situation. one seems to understand that I get this gut wrenching, sickening feeling whenever someone tries to take a picture of me. The picture is always horrific anyway because I'll have tried so hard to get out of it. I am 15 and my Mum says it could just be teenage self-consciousness but I really believe its more than that. I hate starting a new year of school because of the class photos and will try ANYTHING to get out of it. It's awkward when I'm out with my friends and they decide it would be a good idea to take a photo... I absolutely will not have my picture taken but at the same time HATE drawring attention to myself
Thankyou so much for this It's what I really needed to find :)
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