Do I Really Look Like a Snail?

I suspect that fierce self criticism is universal. We see ourselves one way and are shocked when we glimpse a photograph of ourselves and see someone different, literally, not quite what we had in mind. I was taking pictures of my mother this afternoon. My mother is nearly 61 years of age but very beautifully seasoned. She has taken very good care of herself, exercising regularly, wearing sunscreen, imbibing on nothing stronger than coffee and maintaining an impeccable sense of style. I am always surprised when I take her picture and experience the reaction that I did today of, "I look like a snail with a bowl on my head". This opinion is never what I am thinking when looking through the lens. It just surprises me that a woman as confident, accomplished and beautiful as my mother can think this of herself. Of course, her sense of humor is strong and part of her beauty is her ability to laugh at herself, but I still don't see it. She didn't look like a snail with a bowl on her head (a remark commenting on her new feng shuei hair cut), she looked like Mom, the beautiful. I realize that I, too, have had moments when observing a photograph of myself that I felt viscerally that the picture in question did not reflect the real me. But let's face it, who hasn't felt that way? Pictures are beautiful because they capture a moment. They freeze time. I don't usually throw pictures away for this very reason. They are all good, even when they are bad. Here's my beautiful mom, the snail with a bowl on her head.