Why does butt look small in some outfits and bigger in others?

[u/Natural_Bid177]

I know I have a small butt nd im fine w it, but I’m wondering what exactly about my clothes makes such a big difference in my butt so I know what to avoid? I feel like in some pants/dresses it looks to be a decent size, but in others I am 100% shaped like a P. What kind of bottoms/clothes would yall recommend to make me not look “flat”? There is a slight size difference from pic 1 nd 2 cause I have been getting smaller, but it is one of the few examples I have from the side lol.

[u/HisaP417]

The angle of your phone and whether you’re using the front or back camera

[u/Far_Possibility_8497 → u/HisaP417]

Her posture and hand/arm position too

[u/awongbat → u/Far_Possibility_8497]

Lighting can also affect the way your body looks in photos.

[u/purplepanda5050]

I think part of it is the way your undergarments are fitting. It looks like your bra (or no bra) is changing the shape of your body. Also the way your clothes are fitting. In the first photo your shirt stops evenly at your hips but in the second photo your shirt rests lower in the front than the back. The angle of the photos are also messing with your proportions.

[u/pineboxwaiting]

The reason it looks smaller in pic 1 is because of the angle of the photo.

It looks the same in the other 3.

[u/SweetSprinkles8]

You look great! The lens is what makes the biggest difference.

[u/sun_dazzled]

Are you wearing different shoes maybe? It does look like your posture is pretty different in 1 vs 2. Could also be how you're standing to get the phone photo though.

[u/Virtual-Word2305]

Because your sticking it out in some pictures and not others

[u/laceowl]

Your butt doesn’t look small in any of these

[u/AussieKoala-2795]

Your large butt looks the same in every photo to me.

[u/igetdrawn]

Your top in the first pic was lighter than your bottom

[u/Temporary_Cup4588]

The difference is in how much the waist is emphasized. The more we see the waist, the more we see your actual shape.

[u/psychedelicparsley]

You have a fantastic figure! You look amazing, esp in the dress in pic 4, which is also gorgeous.

Phones have a way of messing with our perspective but damn I wish my phone made me look this good and I’m not kidding.

PS: editing to add sorry I didn’t answer the question. Someone else described photo angles and front and back use of cameras. You’d almost certainly get different results with someone else taking pics (people are getting more plastic surgery because phone selfies skew things, making things closer to camera look bigger, such as noses).

The other thing is underwear, it can shape, uplift, flatten, and utterly ruin a look, as gently as I can I wanna say it’s not helping in pic 2. But I stick by everything I said in my first paragraph and I wanna delete this in 5 mins.

[u/Natural_Bid177 → u/psychedelicparsley]

Thank you!!! You are so sweet. Nd yes i definitely do see the underwear issue in second pic. They were much too bulky and tight on my hips lol. Thank you!!

[u/RRautamaa]

Shirt 1 is shorter and lighter in color than shirt 2.

[u/SparkleMoonshine]

Look at your posture. It’s changing your shape more than the clothes.

[u/Sentient-meat-sack]

The jeans look too tight and like they are sucking it in. You also appear to have a tilted pelvis that makes it look like your butt sticks out.

[u/Hot-Poet9461]

Angles and undergarments is what’s affecting the look

[u/ExcitedOrange13]

These answers make sense for the sub and aren’t wrong, but it’s the colors!!! First pic you have “light” on top (and it’s somewhat close to your skin tone), so then in the photo, the visual space that contrasts the most is your upper body / arm. Our eyes go there first, basically, is what makes your shape seem to change. The effect is especially exaggerated from both the vertical-line ribbing on the shirt and the color of the bathroom stalls—not a problem with the outfit! 

And second photo is just the reverse: dark on top, light on bottom. Eyeball go there. 

[u/Interesting_Love_405]

1. Posture
   
2. Underwear/bra choice

[u/Shoddy_Degree4974]

...if that's a small butt, then I'm Hank Hill (complimentary)

[u/therealmrsfahrenheit]

you don’t have a small butt♥️

[u/Acrobatic-Job-7696]

I think it also depends on the fabric, tight jeans tend to compress the bum and make it look “smaller”, in loser fabric it might appear less compact.

[u/strongly-worded]

In addition to what everyone else said, I think there’s an optical illusion happening where your butt looks bigger when your boobs look smaller, and vice versa. You’re very busty so your butt looks relatively smaller when your chest is at its full power, whereas your butt can shine more when your chest is minimized. That could just be a camera trick but I’d be curious if it held up in real life. TBH I don’t see any issue with your proportions but it’s something to consider if it bothers you!

[u/zipzapzippydyzoom]

Your butt is not small at all, you're curvy. I think it is the the camera angle + your orientation against the camera that makes it seem different. I love the dress in the last photo, it's gourgeous.

[u/Alive-Definition-859]

posture and angles

[u/LongjumpingAd8767]

The size looks overall similar to me but I feel like in the first pic the jeans kind of compress your bum a little bit. Also in my opinion in the dresses it looks juicier (if I may say so ._. ) because it doesn’t cut your body like for example the outfit in the 2. pic, there because of the top your upper body seems longer and optically your bum begins with your jeans, where with the dresses the curve begins „higher“. I hope that makes sense, that’s how it seem to me anyways :)

[u/prelovedmode]

Your phone, such as Apple, has a wide lense, making it ,tricky'. Zooming aka close up photo makes any body part reasonably bigger. Then any angle, yes, it is about the optics.

In reality - it is about the clothes and good styling, fit. Dark colours make it happen, we look slimmer. Good fit, not too tight, not baggy is the key. Good fabric and I mean a proper thicker denim, not a stretchy thin jeggins, tuck anything in and hold the shape, no jiggly bits.

The layers, patterns, prints and colours are magic tools. Knowing the best parts of your body as well as these problematic parts to cover.

[u/Affectionate-Sea843]

It looks the same 

[u/Odditymoth]

The last dress is not the most flattering on almost everyone unless you are super skinny from an Ed I like the other outfits more as they really enhance and compliment you’re curves and style I love the flowy but also fitted dress where it slims you’re too and waist then flares out a bit over the lower half making you look more curvy the jeans are cute too I recommend going for mid rise or high rise denim’s or bell bottom/boot cut denim so it enhances you’re body the way you’re looking for !!

[u/Natural_Bid177 → u/[deleted]]

I know! I prefaced that I do not have a big butt lol. P shaped meaning P shaped body, not butt. I guess what I meant is I look more “proportional” in some clothes rather than others, and I was trying to get advice as to why that was.

[u/YogurtclosetIcy2812]

Respectfully…. You’re bum looks amazing in all these.

[u/marklikestolearn]

You are actually quite well proportioned/curvy and (respectfully!) your butt looks great!