Is what I see in the mirror actually what I look like?
In short, what you see in the mirror is nothing but a reflection and that may just not be how people see you in real life. In real life, the picture may be completely different. All you have to do is stare at a selfie camera, flip and capture your photo. That's what you really look like.
It's not a lie, but everyone's face looks different in photographs than it does in a mirror. This is because the mirror reflects a reversed image of your face, while a camera captures a photo of how your face actually looks.
The mirror is a reflection.
Although we're the most comfortable and familiar with the face staring back at us while we brush our teeth in the morning, the mirror isn't really the real us. It's a reflection, so it shows how we look like in reverse.
Sometimes it makes them look better, but the mirror is always more accurate. Unless you're using your phone screen as a reflective surface, in which case you can trust it.
Hold two hand mirrors in front of you with their edges touching and a right angle between them like the two covers of a book when you're reading. With a little adjustment you can get a complete reflection of your face as others see it. Wink with your right eye. The person in the mirror winks his or her right eye.
This is because the reflection you see every day in the mirror is the one you perceive to be original and hence a better-looking version of yourself. So, when you look at a photo of yourself, your face seems to be the wrong way as it is reversed than how you are used to seeing it.
Draw a perfect circle on a piece of paper. Hold it in front of a mirror. If it looks like a perfect circle in the mirror, there is no distortion and the mirror shows the truth. If the circle looks squashed horizontally, the mirror makes things look fatter.
Having an asymmetrical face is both normal and common. Often it is the result of genetics, aging, or lifestyle habits. While a person may notice their own facial asymmetry, other people will probably not be aware of them.
The front facing camera does not mirror the video it takes. It mirrors the display when you are taking it, so it looks like what you would see in a mirror. The saved video is in the correct orientation. This is done to aid in taking the photos and videos.
I found the front camera gives more pleasing pictures than the back one, for example, the pictures taken by the back one often shows my eyes are proportionally smaller. Also the front camera seems to produce completely dark pictures when the lighting isn't good, while the back camera can still produce clearer pictures.
Is mirror or front camera more realistic?
Neither is very accurate. A mirror shows a reversed image of your face, and our faces are subtly asymmetrical. Therefore, a mirror image will always look slightly different from how we appear to other people - in that regard a photo is more accurate. My face is beautiful in a mirror but bad in a selfie.
People see the outside appearance, like a picture or mirror reflection. That is you.

A camera has only one eye, so photography flattens images in a way that mirrors do not. Also, depending on the focal length and distance from the subject, the lens can create unflattering geometric distortions.
A new study shows that 20% of people see you as more attractive than you do. When you look in the mirror, all you see is your appearance. When others look at you they see something different such as personality, kindness, intelligence, and sense of humor. All these factors make up a part of a person's overall beauty.
In a series of studies, Epley and Whitchurch showed that we see ourselves as better looking than we actually are. The researchers took pictures of study participants and, using a computerized procedure, produced more attractive and less attractive versions of those pictures.
When being asked that can someone be very beautiful in person, but not very photogenic, most people would give the “YES” answer. There are some people around us look beautiful but not photogenic. What makes thing even more shocking is the opposite that some photogenic people do not surprise you in real life.
Here's why.) The most common cause of camera distortion is that the subject is too close to the lens. Most photographers say that the type of lens used also has a lot to do with it, and wide-angle lenses (like the ones in our camera phones) are big offenders.
Any image you see reflected by a plane flat mirror is a virtual image. You can see this by keeping an object in front of a mirror and seeing where it appears to be located in the mirror.
Mirror feedback, from webcams and reflective surfaces, doesn't accurately tell us how we look. With more time spent staring at ourselves than ever, that poses a couple of problems to our delicate self-esteems.
References
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/asymmetrical-face
- https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/132844/which-camera-gives-more-accurate-image-the-front-or-the-back-camera
- https://www.thehealthyjournal.com/faq/how-can-i-see-my-real-face
- https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/teenagers-viral-video-shows-how-your-mirror-image-is-entirely-different-from-how-others-see-you-2365397.html
- https://www.distractify.com/fyi/2018/07/30/29YpYr/why-do-i-look-different-in-pictures
- https://www.allure.com/story/mirrors-webcams-self-esteem
- https://blog.photofeeler.com/why-do-i-look-different-in-pictures-what-do-i-look-like-to-others/
- https://www.quora.com/Which-is-better-at-creating-an-accurate-representation-of-yourself-selfie-cameras-or-mirrors
- https://www.quora.com/How-do-people-see-me-Do-they-see-me-as-I-see-myself-in-the-mirror-or-do-they-see-me-as-my-own-reflection-like-in-pictures-or-something-else
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/why-do-we-look-attractive-in-the-mirror-but-ugly-in-the-photos/photostory/72492206.cms
- https://www.thehealthyjournal.com/faq/does-the-front-camera-show-the-real-you
- https://www.thehealthyjournal.com/faq/should-i-trust-my-camera-or-mirror
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/you-are-less-beautiful-than-you-think/
- https://www.zmescience.com/other/feature-post/why-you-look-ugly-photos/
- https://www.quora.com/Are-mirrors-accurate-in-reflecting-how-youre-really-supposed-to-appear-How-do-I-know-what-I-really-look-like-if-mirrors-make-me-appear-either-too-wide-or-too-thin-How-can-I-find-an-accurate-reflection-of-myself
- https://www.quora.com/What-should-I-believe-A-real-mirror-or-a-phone-camera-to-see-my-face-Camera-with-no-filters-no-45%C2%B0selfie-angle-just-holding-it-straight
- https://www.foxbackdrop.com/blogs/news/beautiful-photogenic-reasons-tricks-foxbackdrop
- https://byjus.com/physics/reflection-of-light-image/
- http://www.thebeat925.ca/news/332595/did-you-know-that-other-people-see-you-as-more-attractive-than-you-do