Middle school was rough. Not only did you have to contend with the mean girls, but you also had to participate in the dreaded “Class Picture Ritual”: The one where your mom dressed you up in a lacy dress with collar and sent you off for humiliation and suffering. Thankfully, this awful tradition stops after you hit eighth grade, but the pressure to look good in photos never goes away. Now, with friends posting pictures on MySpace and sending out albums for the world to see, it has become even more crucial to know how to strike a perfect pose.

Posing tricks.
So next time you have to face your public, try some of the following tricks picked up from the stars and photographers.

  • To look your slimmest, try standing with one foot slightly in front of the other and gently pivot on your feet so that your body, including your shoulders, is at a slight angle. Putting your hands on your hips can make your waist look instantly smaller.