Embracing Imperfections
I once read somewhere that people are considered to be the most attractive when they have symmetrical faces. In fact, this theory is proven and researched here, here and here. Most people would agree with this statement- if someone’s left eye was an inch lower than their right, they most likely wouldn’t be picked first at the modeling agency. That silly “fact” that has been proven by “studies” really struck a chord with me. It made me realize that I don’t have a symmetrical face.
I’ve always been self-conscious about having my photo taken and my appearance- I think most of us women have at some point in our life. What’s funny is that back in middle school and high school when I rarely wore makeup or did my hair- I wasn’t as worried about my looks. I’ve noticed that as I’ve gotten older, my looks have become more important to me. And I’ve seen how what you look like can both hurt and help you in life.
Anyway, back to the symmetrical thing. When I smile, the one side of my face crinkles up a little more than the other. This means one eye appears smaller, the edge of my mouth goes up a little higher, and I won’t ever have a perfect, horizontal glamour shot. When I take photos, I usually try to tilt my head a little so I’m not facing the camera straight-on, since that’s when my non-symmetric face sticks out more.
When I waitressed and worked in a deli, I served hundreds of customers each day, and at least one or twice a week someone would tell me I have a nice smile (or that I looked like Julia Roberts). It’s one of the things I do miss about working in customer service, since those kind words made my day.
The funny part about this whole thing is, not many other people notice. I’ve complained and rolled my eyes at photos of myself for years, only to have friends and strangers tell me they don’t see the asymmetry issue. In fact, my male friends in college voted me “Best Smile” and presented me with an award (made of paper and drawn with markers, of course). That’s right, the girl with the crooked smile won a silly award.
Then I started noticing a lot of other people who has asymmetrical faces- one being the gorgeous Katy Perry. Sometimes when she smiles, her one eye shrinks and she gets the same look that I do in photos. I thought to myself, “I’m not alone- this even happens to pretty celebrities!”
I still don’t love my nose, I’ll always wish my legs were thicker, and I’d kill to have naturally long lashes, but I’ve realized that I should be happy I look the way I do. Sometimes are small imperfections are only noticed by us. And if they’re noticed by others, it’s usually in a good way! You never know when someone will fall for your crooked smile or be mesmerized by that weird birthmark you have. Trust me.
You are gorgeous, and I think tiny imperfections can make people even more beautiful 🙂
aw thank you Annie- you are so right! It’s the little things that set us apart from one another (and Barbie!)
You are so beautiful! You should never be self concious! Although I understand, my face is not symmetrical either! It does make me feel a lot better when I notice stars who don’t have symmetrical faces. Nobody is perfect, and as Marylin Monroe said it… “Imperfection is beauty”
aw stop it Niki! Nobody is perfect- you’re right. I enjoy seeing the “stars without makeup” section of US Weekly just for that. 🙂
I never noticed that on you!! I’m sure my face is somewhat asymmetrical, too! I’ll need to look more closely! Such a pretty picture of you regardless, so I wouldn’t think twice about it, and this is very interesting! I didn’t know there have been studies on it.
aw thanks girl!
I love this post!! I don’t have a symmetrical face either. One of my eyes is smaller than the other… all the time. Not just when I smile. My mother and brother have the same quirk, and I never realized it until my mother pointed it out to me. It’s never bothered me, and I never thought that other people realized it until I was backstage at Michael Kors for fashion week. Dick Page (the lead makeup artist for Shisedo) took one look at me and said “You’ve got two different eyes. I love that.” Cue blushing and giggling like a six-year-old. You’ve got the right idea, gal. Embrace those “flaws.” You’ll realize they aren’t really even flaws at all.
xx
M
Oh boy, well I can’t top THAT story! haha everyone says “if you didn’t have your nose/smile you wouldn’t look like Rachel”. as simple as it sounds, it’s true!
You have such a nice smile! Never ever in a million years would I pick your face out as asymmetrical.
thanks Jenn!
Mine does the exact same thing. One of my eyes isn’t as big or wide ad the other and it squints more. I’m always self conscious about it in photos thinking I look like I have a lazy eye. Great post!
walkinginmemphisinhighheels.com
haha me too! You definitely don’t have a lazy eye at all- no worries!
you are gorgeous… I would have never considered your face bo to be asymmetrical!
aw thank you Grace!
I never would think your face is asymmetrical..you are so gorgeous!
thanks so much Sharon! Turns out, a lot of us have asymmetrical faces (according to these comments!)
I think you are a beauty! Imperfections are what makes us all unique. Looking forward to all your March posts, and thank you for your help last night with my tech disaster!
aw thank you Dina! I’m glad your tech problem worked out (I assume!)
I remember learning about the “symmetrical face = beauty” thing in my fashion merchandising and appearal class. Not sure why we learned about it there? But we learned about all the studies and they showed the symmetrical tester and used it on celebrities like Beyonce and Heidi Klum… who had pretty much perfectly symmetrical faces. Anyway… really interesting stuff I was kind of fascinated with it ever since (and tried harder to make my brows PERFECT so they would be symmetrical to one another).
Girl… your face looks perfectly symmetrical to me! And you HAVE A GORGEOUS smile! I would have given you that award too 🙂 It can be hard to live with the imperfections we see in ourselves, but just when we thought it was our worst quality, you’re right…. someone seems to love it or fall in love with it (I hate my nose too and I remember freshman year of college we played a game where we went around the room and complimented the person next to us… one of my best friends said she loved my nose and was jealous of it… what the heck HAHA I still hate it but whateves 🙂 )
Sorry for the long story… interesting topic on a Monday morning! Thanks for getting my brain going 🙂
haha love this comment! I love long comments where you can tell people actually READ the post. My eyebrows grow in asymmetrically actually now that you bring it up.
But yes, I have plenty of people say nice things to me so it helps get over the stupid symmetry issue. And your friend who complimented your nose just proves that! 🙂
They may be statistically prettier but I love asymmetry, it makes us unique! You and Katy are both gorgeous!
Aw thanks! I’m a fan of quirks too
First of all let me start by saying you are gorgeous, and your hair is amazing. Us women we like to focus on so many details, I probably would have never noticed it if you didn’t point it out lol, but at the same time I’m always over analyzing things. And just like you when I was younger I never cared. Now I want to take a close up of my face as well 🙂
Thank you so much, I’m blushing! I think we’re all just extra hard on ourselves- you are totally right. I’ve grown to get over the wonky eye/smile I have and have learned how to hide it in photos 🙂
You are definitely a beautiful girl, Rachel. No need to ever feel self-conscious about that! (But I understand that it’s only human to feel that way sometimes, right?) I know I definitely notice my imperfections more than other people because when I point them out, I mostly get “huh?” as a response.
Thanks Lauren! I think when you stress about your appearance and others say they don’t see it, it’s just proof that it’s us being silly.
You are so beautiful! It seems like we’re always focusing on a flaw we’d like to change or comparing ourselves to someone we think has it better, it is hard!
thanks Ashley- you’re right! I get better at it with age 🙂
Rachel, you are pretty!! You should forget all this mumbo jumbo about imperfection. Nobody is perfect and we are all lucky to have the blessings we have!
haha thanks Corbynn. I know it’s all mumbo-jumbo, it just bothers me that there were STUDIES to prove it. Come on, psychologists! 😛
I worry about my asymmetrical face sometimes too, but it’s normal! Just totally a girl thing to think about 🙂 My nose and mouth/smile are no where near symmetrical but none of my friends or family have ever noticed. And they roll their eyes when I mention it haha so I’ve just learned to deal with it and be thankful for all my blessings instead 🙂 You’re gorgeous, girl!
My face is asymmetrical too! I used to worry about it all of the time and now it doesn’t bother me. In some pictures you can tell and in others you can’t.
Facial symmetry is definitely supposed to be one of the most attractive features about another person. I’ve studied a little bit of it in a few psychology classes and it’s really interesting to see just how asymmetrical most people’s faces are. I know mine is totally asymmetrical and I’ve always been self conscious about having my photo taken, but I’m trying to get over that especially with having my blog! If you want to see someone with a really symmetrical face you should mirror one side of Scarlet Johansson’s face – it looks identical to her actual face!
I’m looking it up as we speak!
What a really thoughtful post. We all have imperfections, and that’s what makes us unique. You really do have a beautiful smile! 🙂
aw thank you Shannon! 🙂
I love this post! You are right about everything. You look gorgeous always!
thanks McKenna. I figured others went through this too so I should share
Even gorgeous people like you worry about their looks! If only I was taller, or I had straight hair, or I could get rid of the bump on my nose..I think it’s true that sometimes the things you focus on about yourself other people don’t notice or they tend to admire. That’s a great observation!
Aw thank you Yasmin- you’re so right! Even celebrities complain about their looks as we roll our eyes!
My face is a little asymmetrical too, but hey, no one will really notice if you don’t point it out!
that’s what I tell myself! 🙂
First off, you are a gorgeous girl, and I don’t see anything “abnormal” about your pretty smile. Secondly, the statement “I’ll always wish my legs were thicker”… um, yea – you need to cross that one off your “body flaws” list, like yesterday!
x
aw thank you Jessica haha!
You are always gorgeous! Sometimes one of my eyes shrinks when I smile too. And when I was little I fell off the top bunk and landed on my face, causing me to have a crossbite. Now when I smile, one side of my mouth smiles wider than the other. lol
aw thanks! OUCH! I like fun stories like that though, they make you so much more unique and it’s endearing!
I love this post. I just came across your blog and I love your writing style. And yes… not going to lie, the first thing I thought when I saw a thumbnail photo of you, I definitely thought it was a picture of Pretty Woman (definitely a compliment)! No one is perfect, and I agree, I think it’s the imperfections that make us stand out to others.
Thank you so much Natalia, it means the world to me!
I love this and agree, imperfections should be embraced! I know it has taken me years to even agree/believe this statement myself, but now that I do, I feel relieved almost. I think as women we will always have those moments when we dislike something or find something that’s fine to begin with to start to dislike. I guess its ingrained?
As I get older, I’m getting better with it for sure.
I learned about face symmetry in one of my marketing classes! It’s really interesting. My face is definitely not symmetrical, so I always try to angle my face a certain direction.
You’re gorgeous though! You have absolutely nothing to worry about 🙂
I do the same thing- love the angles! haha thank you so much Jacy 🙂
I only have one dimple. Who cares. There is a lid for every pot, right? Embrace who we are. I however must say everytime you pretty face pops up on my comment feed i think that you look like lindsey in this season of the bachelor and she is so darn pretty! So i think you have nothing to worry about! 🙂
I think one dimple is ADORABLE! I just googled her and I can sort of see the resemblance- she has great hair and is pretty so I take that as a huge compliment my dear!
I feel the same way about myself. One eye squints when I smile. I hate my profile and my teeth are my biggest dislike about myself. It’s part of being a woman, but I think the small imperfections are what make us all truly beautiful….such a catch 22!
You have such a cute smile though Shanna- it’s definitely what makes you “you”. It’s corny, but you know what I mean 🙂
I haven’t even thought about whether or not my face is symmetrical! You are gorgeous, and I think that imperfections are what make people interesting 🙂
Thanks Maya! I agree
This is so interesting! I have never thought about whether or not I am symmetrical although I did have a make up artist tell me that I have one eyebrow that is lower than the other…haha but you are gorgeous and I completely agree that are quirks are what make us interesting 🙂
it’s weird to think about, right? My eyebrows are two different shapes too haha! thanks Ashley!
You are BEAUTIFUL! All your “imperfections” make you unique and stunning. 🙂
aw thanks AJ! I’m learning to embrace them as I get older (hence the post!)
Symmetry is boring! I don’t know anyone with a symmetrical face, and I like it that way 🙂 You are gorgeous my friend!!
Right- who has a symmetrical face? No one I know of! Thanks so much <3
You are so sweet and I love this post. Embrace it all girlfriend, you are gorgeous! I totally see the Julia Roberts 🙂
aw thank you Evani! Gaining confidence is something I have gotten A LOT better at as I’ve gotten older and it’s all about the attitude 🙂
I definitely like the asymmetry, it’s just so much more natural! I have one eye that is slightly smaller than the other too.
🙂 welcome to the cool club
Forget symmetry! You are beautiful! Who wants to be Katy Perry anyway. No brains.
aw thanks! And yeah, she is a bit… dull up there
Love this post. I being a psych grad have read all those articles and have studied “human social interactions”—am right there with you on how dumb those facts are. Most people don’t have symmetrical faces! I always pay attention to my eyes when I smile too! I always close one more than the other! It’s sooo annoying! But, like you say! Most people don’t notice and will love you for you quirks! lol If you’re happy and exude happiness nothing else matter!
Glad we both have the squinty eye sometimes! 🙂
thanks so much Rita- your comment totally made my day!
Aw thanks! I think lazy eyes are the new cool thing, right? 🙂
love that your so open and true 🙂 great post!
thanks Chels!
I have been noticing this same feature becoming more and more pronounced in my soon-to-be 15 year old daughter – I decided to sit down today and research what the “problem” could be, to see if it could be “fixed” (it isn’t just when she smiles; it is constant, and wasn’t apparent just a year ago). This is the first “site” I decided to read, and it is most encouraging to read/see info and photos of lovely grown ladies that obviously aren’t being held up by this. One thing I learned as well from what you have written, is that while she doesn’t seem to care right now, she will one day and I want to be prepared to be encouraging about her features and not add to her self-conciousness.
Mrs atkins
theres something call maxillary and mandibular defects that effect how the jaw sits, the jaw is like the scaffold for the face! she might need an xray to see whether its battancing both sides of her face correctly, if its not, they will need to crack it so new bone can grow between and then fill the shallow parts in with some fat.
hope i’ve helped darling xx
I have noticed this too, I’ve been noticing it slowly creep on me since I was 13.
I have been researching this topic for 7 years (now 21) and come to realise it has something to do with how the jaw develops.
Without having abrasive surgery, you can have botox and fillers to create volume in the areas that aren’t as full as the rest.
As soon as I’ve saved enough money I am having fillers and botox as jaw surgery will be too much for little symmetry issues, I will be adding you on twitter and would love to keep you updated on how I get on.
Making myself a Guinea pig lol
x
Nah, just live with it! Find someone who cherishes and loves you while putting aside your human guaranteed imperfections. You look great in your pic!
thanks!
You are absolutely gorgeous and don’t let anyone, including yourself, tell you otherwise! You’re not alone in this battle and I am on the same journey, to accept and love myself for who I am and the way that I look! Thank you for sharing this. Well said.
aw thank you Lindsay!
asymmetrical face makes us unique 😀 I just realize that my face is asymmetrical when I was 14. I was standing in front of mirror and I realized something’s wrong with my ears, then I looked back to my 12 yo pict and it does different and nobody realizing it. It also happens to my eyeballs, it’s uneven when I randomly took some pictures and still, nobody realize it. I feel a bit worry until I found some articles about it, now I try to ignores that “asymmetrical” face and life with it. Beside some people say I look sweet when I smile and I’m happy about it XD
My wife has the same issue, but more severe than yours. One eye is significantly higher than the other. It took me months to notice, but have to remember that beauty is skin deep. Then I realized that other people have the same issue, I’d guess maybe 1 out of 1000 has a significant noticeable asymmetrical feature. The left side of my chin is lower, but took me till 20 to notice.
Oh my! You are actually really pretty! I actually love your face! I can’t see anything that is slightly wrong with it!
aw thank you!
I have recently noticed the same “issue” with my face and, needless to say I always had self-image issues. Seeing it from a someone else’s perspective made me feel better. If it helps, as a male , I agree with the comments, your asymmetry doesn’t bother me one bit. In fact, I’d imagine a perfectly symmetrical face would be boring. I guess it’s all in our head. Thank you for this post.