There is a considerable difference between the image we have of ourselves and the one created by the people who love us. Sometimes, a photograph taken by our partner may seem unflattering to us. We look for flaws, notice details we dislike and feel that it does not reflect how we want to appear in their eyes. Perhaps because we want them to see us in a particular way, because we also want to feel attractive to that person. However, the person who took the photograph may see it very differently. They are not looking for a perfect image, but at the person they love. Those details we question may be precisely what makes that person special in their eyes.

This difference reveals something important about human perception. We do not see people solely through their physical features, but also through the feelings, experiences and bonds we share with them. The person we examine in front of a mirror is not necessarily the same person seen by someone who loves us. We can spend years trying to improve our appearance without realising that someone already sees something in us that does not need fixing. Perhaps we will never see ourselves exactly as others see us, but it is worth remembering that our own perception is not the only possible interpretation of who we are.