Selecting which photo to use as your main profile picture can be a tough decision. There is so much conflicting advice out there regarding your face, the angle and the background. Our profile picture is probably the most important aspect of our online personas so it’s imperative to select your photo wisely.
So is there any advice out there that we think is garbage? Sure there is. That’s why we’re here to implode a few of the popular online myths regarding your profile picture.
Myth 1: You have to smile
Okay, this one is controversial. Smiling is definitely more inviting. It shows that you are friendly, happy and easy-going, however big toothy grins fail to demonstrate sexiness. Now, you’d probably only want to illustrate sultriness if you were on a dating site for casual sex or you were interested in having a fuck buddy. But still, having a huge grin doesn’t mean more messages. Sometimes a subtle sexy smile is good enough.
Myth 2: You have to look at the camera
It actually doesn’t make a difference whether you’re looking into the camera or not, as long as people can see the general outline of your face. In fact, photos that aren’t full on headshots attract more users because the side shot is alluring and mysterious. You think “Wow, that person looks hot, let me click on their profile to get a better look”.
Myth 3: Avoid distracting backgrounds
We’re always told to keep our frames tight and sharply focused on our face. Having a distracting background will ruin your photo, and make others skip over your profile quicker. This might be true for some folks, but let’s say you have an amazing travel photo from the Bahamas’. There’s you looking great in a purple bikini with a gorgeous white sand/turquoise water background. That type of background is not distracting, it actually says a lot about your personality in one photo i.e. you love to travel, you work out, and you’re a beach bum. Perfect. Beautiful travel photos capture attentions so don’t be afraid to use them.