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comment by Pribnow
Pribnow  ·  3747 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: I refuse to let my pictures get taken. Why should I change this?

You should force yourself out of the negative thought patterns that make you so camera shy. I don't think forcing yourself to appear in pictures is really going to change much, at least not as much as focusing on the underlying thought processes.

1. Being conscious of your appearance isn't the same as being constantly worried about your appearance or feeling uncomfortable whenever you don't "look perfect." I'm conscious of my appearance in that I pay attention enough to notice my hair looking particularly funny or if there's a conspicuous stain on my clothes, or if my shirt got partially tucked in when I put my pants on, stuff like that. I'm aware of how other people see me and what kind of 'presence' I project with the way I look. It doesn't mean I constantly worry about looking perfect. Looking perfect all the time simply isn't a reasonable goal, and letting it cause you anxiety simply isn't a healthy way to live.

2. Being clumsy is fine. Ungraceful moments don't define a person. Pictures of ungraceful moments don't define a person in anybody's mind. It's something to laugh about, not something that should cause you anxiety. Nobody is going to take your goofy photo and do anything malicious with it, and at worst they can make you look clumsy (which you say is something true either way).

3. . . . what?

4. Who do you think cares enough about you to do this? If a person wants to find out where you live and do something malicious random pictures of you on the internet are the last thing you need to worry about. Anybody who can find your name can find your address, it's public record, and there are easier ways to find a person's name than through the lanyards they use.

All of these seem totally unreasonable fears to me. They also only apply to crazily specific circumstances, not at all to having your picture taken in general. They do all seem to share a common theme, though, which I'm sure you can figure out for yourself and that you don't need people telling you of.