What your profile picture says about you

A picture really can be worth a thousand words when it comes to Facebook. Choosing the perfect profile picture can be an exhausting process because it sometimes requires editing, color adjusting and cropping. Think about it: Out of all the albums of Facebook pictures, iPhone uploads and tagged photos, your profile picture is the one picture that you want all your friends to see when they click on your name.

I’ve broken down Facebook users into a variety of categories of what your profile picture says about you.

The Selfie King/Queen

The selfie has made a comeback since the MySpace era. The selfie king/queen is the person whose profile picture album is essentially an amateur modeling portfolio. We only have one problem: This person isn’t a model. It is fine to sport the occasional selfie. The key word being occasional. If you find yourself only making your profile picture a picture that you took yourself, maybe consider adding some variety. You may have a beautiful face and want to show it off, but it can come off as narcissistic. One more thing: It is never acceptable to have a selfie as your cover photo. If you’re reading this and this is the case, do yourself a favor and go change it now.

The Dynamic Duo

We all have that annoying Facebook couple. As if you didn’t feel bad enough about your love life, you have to login to Facebook and see Jack and Jill skydiving together, kissing under the mistletoe and in coordinating Halloween costumes. Can you say “gag me?” It’s really wonderful if you’re in a loving relationship, but don’t forget that you’re still an individual. People may start to get confused of who you are if you constantly have another person in your profile picture. Don’t risk losing your identity. In this case, I’m sure your Facebook friends would welcome the occasional selfie.

The Athlete

The athlete isn’t worried about looking pretty; they’re more worried about looking intense. Being an athlete shows your Facebook friends that there is more to you than just a pretty face or A’s in school. Posting athletic photos normally racks in the likes and shows people you are passionate and take fitness seriously. However, athletic pictures can also scare people, quite literally. For your non-athlete Facebook friends, they may find your painful facial expression, messy hair and sweat glistening body a little unattractive. You don’t want to seem too obsessed with your sport. Make sure you put up the occasional picture of yourself off the field so your Facebook friends know you can clean up nice and have a good time.

The Partier

The partier isn’t the type to show off to their Facebook friends how hot they look in their new bikini. They’re worried about showing people how much fun they have every weekend. Whether it is a snapshot dancing on a table or doing a keg stand, these pictures aren’t normally posed and very candid. Like the athlete, the comedian usually racks in the likes and shows their Facebook friends they don’t take themselves too seriously. The one minor problem about the partier: although photos may be entertaining to you and your friends, your future job might not find them as entertaining. Be wise not to post anything too crazy and make sure your privacy settings are adjusted accordingly.

The Over-Editor

Have you ever received a friend request from someone super hot that you’ve never seen in your life, only to realize it’s someone who’s in your class? The over-editor edits their Facebook photos to such a degree that you can hardly tell it’s even them. There’s nothing wrong with filtering your photos slightly to make them more appealing to the eye, but just make sure you don’t look like Leonardo DiCaprio or Kate Upton when you’re done. Over-editing your Facebook photos gives people a false impression of who you really are. Be proud of your look and rock it.

The Artist

Being “artsy” is hip and cool these days. The artist is the Facebook friend whose profile picture usually has some element of nature and them pondering life while gazing into the distance, with a deep quote to boot. Their photos will either be black and white or have a professionally edited look. Although their photos may gain them popularity, is the artsy person really as deep and emotional as they seem? People may care about your feelings every once in awhile, but seeing your emo quotes and pictures everyday can get old. Make sure to show your Facebook friends you can have fun and be happy, at least sometimes.

The bottom line: Look for a mixture of all these types in your profile picture album. Your Facebook profile picture is someone’s impression of you in one photo, so think wisely the next time you go to change it.