Guyism

7 Facebook photos that will get you defriended

facebook-photos

Considering that I’m only real-life friends with about a ninth of my Facebook friends, I spend a lot of time getting to know my Facebook friends based solely on their profile choices.

Uploading albums with names like Fall 2009 show me that you’re boring, while inviting me to join you on Farmville shows me that you’re currently single. But there is nothing more telling than the pictures people choose to use for their profile. This is often the one thing that shows up when people search for you so you pick the picture that best describes you. After all, how else will people know that you got really hot, really skinny… or even really straight teeth after you removed your adult braces.

However, there are 7 profile pictures that cause me to immediately defriend you — even if we did play doctor in the first grade.

emo674
1. Emo
We all have the black and white setting on our camera but that doesn’t mean we use it. I want to know what you look like face-on, not what you looks like in the shadows of a broken mirror. Take off the black nail polish, turn off the Dashboard Confessional, and try taking a picture of yourself smiling or in color. Don’t try both of those at once though, I wouldn’t want you to appear too happy.

headshot_1[1]2. Headshot

I’m sorry, did you get Facebook confused with a modeling agency submission? Or perhaps you were just hoping your flawless skin posed “naturally” in front of a fake ocean backdrop would be confused for a candid shot. Not only is the headshot clearly photoshopped but your frighteningly piercing eyes cause me to feel like you’re staring at me through the computer screen. And the last thing I need to feel like when I’m Facebook stalking is like a stalker.

2296945983_4e40254a45[1]3. Childhood

It’s hard not to be somewhat cute as a little kid. However that was 1979 and this is 2009, I don’t care what you looked like back then, I want to see if you would still look as cute in that Halloween sailor costume now. When you choose a profile picture taken over 20 years ago I can only assume that your looks peaked then and now walk around with a paper bag over your head.

babybear4. Your Baby

Every time someone friends me with a newborn as their profile, I freak out that at some point I got so drunk I actually befriended a baby at the bar the night before (albeit a very technologically inclined baby). Sure your kid’s cute and every birth is a miracle but that doesn’t mean I want to sign on and see that your baby wrote on my wall or your baby tagged me in a photo. 18 years down the road, then we can talk about your baby poking me.

151601871_NvQ4M-S[1]5. With a celeb

Brag a little more. We’ve all seen our fair share of celebrities, but don’t feel the need to jump in a picture and put it on Facebook for all to see. Try a little modesty and slip it into an album instead. I’ll applaud you for your class and then give you the requisite photo comment “omg so jeal you saw him!”

-CoupleKissing1[1]6. Couple Kissing Shot

The last thing I need to do when I sign on to Facebook is to vomit all over my keyboard. You’ve made it abundantly clear through your relationship status, “in love” statuses, and over 400 couple albums that you are crazy and madly in love. There’s such a thing as over kill and putting that profile shot of you making out and dry humping on the beach is the definition of that. If I wanted softcore porn I would have logged into Myspace.

08_Charity_Ball[1]7. Company Promotion

Facebook is my procrastination tool, not my Rolodex. I don’t want to go to stalk you and discover that you’ve gone from being my scrawny next door neighbor to looking like a logo. That’s great you have a promising professional life now but hiding behind your company’s golf fund raising flyer makes me think something went horribly wrong with your looks. Not only that, I think the success rate for people who see the fundraiser announcements and then attend it are between 0 and 0 percent.

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  • Jeff Jalopnik
    Here's an idea. If you're so upset with facebook, stop using it. Asides from pretty much leaving no category uncovered, you've done a great job of telling everyone how lonely and bitter you are.

    Go outside for once and meet people maybe?
  • Brad
    i couldn't agree more about the headshot pic! leave it for your resume guys. and Jeff, you might want to read this article with a slight sense of sarcasm. don't take it so seriously. i think she's pin pointed how we've all felt at some point or another.
  • Dave Cannoli
    I disagree. She didn't cover all aread of Facebook. Because I've had 26 profile pictures in my social networking career thus far, and have yet to use any of these options.

    So Jeff, looks like you're the lonely one. I mean you've obviously used all of these tacky categories...
  • Mallory
    I hate couple shots! I think they're so tasteless. And I'm guessing Emo includes ANY pic that you take of yourself.

    So to the big loser up there defending Facebook: Looks like you're the one that's unescorted and obviously in need of meeting some companionship if Facebook is in need of your protection.

    Plus--one is the loneliest number...
  • Janice
    Um can you puh-leeze do a blog in general about promoting a company on Facebook? Like I sooo do not want to become a Fan of your Beeper Company, or your new internship. You know--the one where you work for the 500th Fashion-Website attempt in the past year? Not interested in finding out that bell bottoms are back in style.

    Save the thousands of exclamation points in "promotion" for face to face salemanship. B/c IM REJECTIN' THOSE INVITATIONS. YA HEARD?????
  • I can excuse any of these except emo shots. It's just sooo Myspace :P
  • Boo Radley
    What's Facebook? I haven't come out of my Basement in years.
  • Ethan Crane
    Putting up childhood photos is one of the MOST important things to do if you are trying to find old friends, dumbass. You have got to be kidding about the headshot thing, right? I WANT to see clear shots of people's faces! What you need to complain about are people who have no pictures of themselves! What about the idiots who use their dog as their profile pic, and that is their ONLY picture! Some people put up emo shots for fun, too. You don't have to be emo to put up a fun little emo shot! Some of us might also want to put up a celeb photo because the meeting was a memorable occasion that we want to share! THE ONLY criticism I agree with is company promotion, keep that crap out of my person to person social site, it is so impersonal! You won't have to worry about de-friending me because the request to be friends with someone who is so touchy would never be sent in the first place.
  • John Marcus
    Great to tell people what YOU think not to do. I hesitate to wonder what you're profile picture looks like - the "I-Know-It-All-And-I-Am-Much-Better-Then-You-All" category - ..... Not! What a bunch of negativism. Get a life
  • I totally agree with you. It drove me crazy to see them doing something so annoying. No. 2 and No. 6 had me ignore them for a while. Probably poke fun around on them. I guess. lol
  • Joey
    This article was clearly by a woman, and one that isn't a very good journalist at that. Stupid.
  • Joey
    And if you hate couple shots then you are just fat and lonely. Go to an all you can eat buffet and wolf down your sorrows you cow.
  • Jody
    Hahaha - Brilliant! and the comments on here made me laugh even more... hehehe!
  • Jennifer
    I don't like it when people have a pic of their pet or a pic of their kid as their main pic. It usually means they're fat and/or ugly. Or if they have a close-up pic of their eyes or lips, it usually means they're fat and are trying to take the focus off their body.
  • Jay
    I love how seriously some people are taking this. This was just for fun. Everyone gripes about trivial things once in a while.

    And I so agree with the emo picture thing. Facebook =/= Myspace. No one cares about how brooding and artistic you are.
  • Heather
    Overall this is really funny... thanks for the laugh.

    I had a headshot pic up for a while, and I got a lot of nice comments on it. While I had that one up, I was also voted #1 "Person with the Best Profile Picture" on the "Compare People" application, which is totally anonymous, so people voting are very honest. So I don't think everyone agrees with you about the headshot. I've had 26 different profile photos and 25 of them are recent and candid, but I liked the headshot one too.

    I just posted mine because I liked it, but a lot of companies now check applicants' social networking profiles, so I think a headshot makes sense.

    Almost all of my Facebook friends are real life friends. I have made a few friends through Facebook through one of the apps, but we talk all the time and have really gotten to know one another. If you really defriend someone based on a profile pic (and are not just totally joking about that), I don't think they should have ever been on your friends list in the first place... that's pretty fake.
  • Meh
    You're on Facebook; you've already failed as a human being. Complaining about it is just herpes on the AIDs infected cake. Also, you sound fat.
  • Eh... every kind of facebook photo is somewhat obnoxious. But then, facebook is an incredibly obnoxious site. But, we all use it anyway; so no point in really being mad when we see something on there that makes us wanna punch a baby.
  • Ashley
    Wow, people taking things too personally never ceases to amaze me. Great article. And yes Joey this article was obviously written by a woman.....considering her name and picture is clearly at the top of the article. Did you even read it? Or just glance though, realize you have half of those pictures on YOUR facebook and make some sort of macho comment to make you feel better? haha
  • Couples kissing is probably the worst one on there. Ad the baby one can get confusing because you don't know who the hell it is. its some baby you have probably never seen and they all look the same. just keep the picture of you on there and its all good.
    http://keepahoetrue.com
  • chuchai
    i smell some sexism, joey.
  • Jaynen
    I'm just glad to see such a mixed opinion of the article... I'm somewhat torn between "Judgemental B****" and "I see your point"... I really kind of dig people's choice in their photos... however, I do think that a photo that does not clearly show yourself is impersonal and not worth my attention at best; weak and insecure more likely.

    I will say, headshot photos and childhood photos I actually really like. They show people at their best, which to me is admirable; you took the time to get a professional photo taken? There's nothing more authentic than a chipper, playful kid not at a all minding his mom and her camera. Celeb photos are pretty cool too; but to earn merit as a default pic, it should be recent otherwise it just shows you don't really have anything going on in your life.

    ... just my two cents
  • Jaynen
    .... what's with all the "J" names decided to comment? There's like five or six in a row... this whole thing is fake!!! a joke!!! a ruse!!! and the culprit is obviously not very creative!!!

    LMAO :)
  • Terry
    also shouldve added "glamour shots" I dont need to see a 50 yr old tryin to look 20 by piles of makeup and a feather boa lmao
  • Naomi
    I'm so confused. How does one "sound fat"?
  • A. Isaac
    Re: sounding fat

    If you talk about putting bacon on ice cream, you probably sound fat
  • reza
    hi
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