Funhouse Mirror

As I woefully surveyed my last post, I noticed just how stumpy and compact I looked in my photographs, perhaps ten pounds heavier and a few inches shorter than I in fact am. It's not my outfit, as a general rule all black is slimming. It's not my shoes. Granted, flat ankle boots are probably not the most elongating choice for a girl of my stature. Today I investigated and found I was just shooting at a poor angle (I don't own a tripod so I balanced in on a gate), and poor photography in general. But the day before I was rather depressed about it. After years of yo-yo-ing from being thin and hungry to curvy and overeating, I thought I had struck a balance but these pictures made me consider otherwise. I ate steamed veggies for dinner. It was an overreaction, but it made me think how many of our fashion choices are based on self-perception of our own attractiveness. When I feel prettier or skinnier, I wear my craziest, most expiremental outfits, but as soon as I start feeling down I retreat back to a t shirt and jean. We often talk of being beautiful enough to "pull it off". But what has more merit, pulling something off because you're genetically gifted, or simply because you're confident? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?