Ugly Tags

By Daniella Djiogan

Click…posted. Notifications “Blah blah posted a picture and tagged you”

Oh Crap! it’s that picture, “why did she have to post it?” “I look ugly in that picture” “Couldn’t she see that I look awful?” “why did she post that particular one? Why, why, whyyyy????

Have you ever been a victim of such a situation? Where your friend posts a picture of you looking like you just emerged from the nearest garbage? (That’s a little extreme, but you get the point). The picture where she looks fabulous, and you look bottom-line awful?

I personally have been in such a situation once or twice…okay may be more than that. I feel like posts like these always come as a surprise. No one warns you that the picture will be posted, and you probably thought it was only for you and friend’s eyes… perhaps, an insider joke.

But guess what? Next thing you see, it’s on your Facebook page and people are actually pressing that ‘like’ button. Whyyyy? You wonder…”How did I end up taking such an embarrassing photo, and how on earth does my friend not have the sense not to post it for the world to see? I mean, yes! everyone wants to look beautiful, but still…not at my demise. Plus, I am sure we took more than one picture, and I saw that I looked better in others than this one. So, why does this particular one ends up being the one that’s posted and tagged? Why?”

“It’s my fault, why did I not stop her from taking the picture? It would have prevented this whole thing. Now I have a bunch of accumulated ugly tags from over the years. And they normally happen after I have taken a picture in the following scenarios:

1.) I just woke up and my friend took a selfie with me…I didn’t even get to wash my face.

2.) I had a bad hair day.

3.) I was not feeling that well, I was a little sick.

4.) It was my bad side, the side that’s not as stunning as the other side with the dimple.

5.) I was too close to the camera that it showed my imperfections, that zit I was trying so desperately to hide.

6.) The lightening wasn’t that great for my skin.

7.) I was surrounded by beautiful friends.

8.) I didn’t want to take a picture at that specific time but was forced to take one. So I appear angry and irritated.

9.) I didn’t get the right dress code memo, so I wore that comfy baggy pants and t-shirt. Now I look odd in the picture.

10.) I never seem to know how to pose for a picture, so I am always that one person that looks out of proportion.

And again guess what? that picture gets uploaded on Facebook and to make matters worse, I am tagged too often than rarely.

If that situation happens to you, how do YOU respond after seeing that post?

1.) You look at it, you frown and log off your account….(basically ignore it)

2.) Immediately post a different better profile picture to shift the focus.

3.) You un-tag yourself, after contemplating whether you are going to offend your friend or not.

4.) Tell your friend to delete it, which might make you seem shallow for even suggesting it.

5.) Turn the tables around and post a picture of you looking fabulous and your friend looking not so good. and of-course, tag her.

Frankly, which of these would you pick? Or do you have a different way of dealing with ugly tags?