There is hot and then there is "MySpace Hot". 

MySpace Hot is what you get when an average, or unattractive male or female dresses and/or poses seductively, for females lots of make-up is involved, and the photo is cropped or otherwise altered to make the male or female almost unrecognizable to people who actually know him or her.  The end result, though, is a photo of a "hot" person.

I think we all like to post what we feel are flattering photos of ourselves.  And only knowing someone online makes it easy to selectively choose how our online friends see us, and by doing so make ourselves seem more attractive.

If I'm being honest, I was a little bit worried when I met Toblerone last summer because I thought he might be shocked (and put off!) by how fat I am in real life.  Haha.

I've seen many girls I know, who in real life go around with stringy two-toned hair, no make-up, sloppy dirty t-shirts and generally just look like frazzled housewives 24/7, post photos of far more attractive women who slightly resemble them (photos of themselves, but if you know them, you probably could barely tell it was them).  I won't name names, but I see this a lot. 

Who are we trying to look hot for?  The "friends" we make online?  Would they like us less if we posted photos that reflect how we truly look to the people who live with us and see us out in public?

"MySpace Hot" photos can't merely be pretty.  There must be some sly aura of sex surrounding the photo.  Cleavage and lace tops and sly smiles are common.  Photos are taken from slightly above, looking down on the meager or bountiful breasts of the subject in these self-portrait photos. 

It's almost false advertising, but not quite.  Kind of like amateur glamour shots. 

I don't want to come off all high and mighty because I have a tendency to do it too.  I don't want to post a photo of a fat roll and if I had photoshop you'd better believe I'd edit out my double chin.  I tell myself that it's ok to select only the photos I feel are best because I'm "not photogenic"...but we all know that is a cop out ugly people use.  Haha. 

I just wonder why we need for people we don't know and will probably never meet to think of us as sexy. 

Not everyone is this way, obviously.  Some men and women are perfectly comfortable posting any photo of themselves and don't carefully pick and choose.  Maybe they are more self-confident or more comfortable with themselves and those of us posting these faux sexy photos have self-esteem problems. 

This is just so common that I can't help but wonder what it means to be one of those people who participate in this false advertisement lite, and why we feel compelled to do so. 

Here's a dare for you guys.  Post your favorite/best photo of yourself (your sexy one, if you're one of those guys/girls) and one that is not flattering/most reflects how you look day-to-day.  You can do both or just one.  Who is brave enough to do both?