With the holiday season already upon us, I’m sure your social diary is getting shockingly full of events, parties and family dos, I know mine is! You know what’s worse than lying on the couch at 3am with a belly full of ham and wine? That would be sitting on the computer at 3am, realising your cousin/friend/aunt has uploaded 500 unflattering photos of you onto facebook and you desperately trying to untag ALL of them. Yup, I speak from experience, I think we’ve all had an episode or a few hundred episodes of this. To combat this all too common problem and help out all the ladies on this planet, I’ve devised this post. I’m a photographer, I know what works for the camera and these are 5 potentially-life-saving tips that are easy and they will make you look 10x better! From drab to fab, uhuh!

Tip 1

Boobs out, ass out, tummy in. Now repeat with me: boobs out, ass out, tummy in. Posture ladies, it’s all about posture. Now get up off your chair, stand up straight and boobs out, ass out, tummy in! Instantly weight loss, no kidding!

I know sometimes it’s late at night, you’ve been at this boring party for a couple of hours and you came straight from work, but when there’s a camera pointed at you, please at least make the effort to “boobs out, ass out, tummy in”, it makes a dramatic difference. You’ll look and feel better about yourself and you’ll exude self assurance and confidence.

Tip 2

Heels baby, heels! Some poor podiatrist probably want to stab me right now, but hey, I’m giving you a job ;p Plus when you are 160cm like me, you need that few extra cm. Hello, instantly leg extension!

Try to find a pair of heels that are comfortable and that you can walk in, they do exist, you just need to be patient. The whole of point of wearing heels is that they give your legs the illusion of being longer, so be aware of any thick ankle straps, they will break up the length of your legs and make them appear shorter. Pumps are the best for this purpose, but stick with a thin ankle strap if you find them more comfortable.

Tip 3

Stick your legs out. When you are sitting down, instead of placing your legs directly underneath your knees, stick them out by another 10-15cm and your legs will look so so much longer! You may call it optical illusion, I call it genius!

Don’t forget to straighten your back when you are sitting down, hunching is never a good look, no matter how long your legs appear to be.

Tip 4

No more giant fat arms! I used to do this one a lot, it’s natural to want to keep your arms really close to you, especially when there’s a camera pointed at you and you feel uneasy.

To combat the mysterious pop up giant fat arms disease, all you need to do is, well, not squash them! Simply bend your elbows slightly and point them away from the body a touch, 5cm or so, rest your hand by your hip or upper thigh. Cured! Simple, right?

Tip 5

Put your best face forward. This one is for the mirror. Do you look best front on, or turning your head slightly to the left, or maybe to the right?

How about smiling? Teeth, no teeth, laugh, no laugh? It’s a subjective thing, but you will know this simply by observing yourself in the mirror. Most people look better with their face tilted down slightly, it gives you a more defined jawline.

And we have a winner! Totally putting my best face forward and doing the “boobs out, ass out, tummy in” there!

Please take note: If you practice my 5 tips from drab to fab at your next cousin/friend/aunt’s party, people might poke fun of you and your posey-ness, but rest assured, because you won’t be up at 3am and realising your facebook is being flooded with 500 unflattering photos of you. Instead you’ll just enjoy the groaning sounds of a belly full of ham and wine!

Happy holidays, now don’t forget to pose ladies. Boobs out, ass out, tummy in!