What is squinching and why is everyone doing it?

The new brigade of selfie takers have a secret trick to making sure they always look good on camera. Here’s how to master it at home.
(Rex)
Liz Connor11 August 2015

If you’ve noticed a lack of unflattering, candid photos on your social media feed as of late, you have Peter Hurley to thank - the man who created the phenomenon of squinching.

The New York photographer, who specialises in making people look good on camera, first brought the term to popular consciousness two years ago, but recently brought it back in vogue after he challenged the editors of Who What Wear to attempt a squiching selfie.

Far less effort than extreme contouring, and far less dangerous than lip fillers, squinching is an instant way to make your face look more attractive in photos.

Cara Delevingne demonstrates the 'squinch' at the Paper Towns premiere in New York
(Photographer/AFP/Getty Images)

The basic technique, according to Hurley, involves “tightening your lower eyelid and letting the top one drop down just a bit” - rather like a 2015 update of Tyra Banks’ smizing selfie hack.

Confused? Worry not - the technique is so popular Hurley has put together a handy 15-minute squinching video tutorial (titled ‘It’s all about the squinch!’), which is currently nudging 2 million hits.

Now that the secret’s out, it’s easy to spot the celebs that have mastered the new pose. Take a look through your Instagram and Twitter feeds and you’ll be able to find plenty of evidence of squinching on the red carpet.

Cara Delevignge, Mila Kunis and Kendall Jenner are all big fans, with latter executing a first-rate squinch at the 2015 ESPYS last month.

Squinching: Kendall Jenner is a fan
(Photographer/AFP/Getty Images)

Look closely and you’ll see the difference - the technique adds definition and a sultry confidence to the face. Well, it beats looking candidly surprised or slipping into an unflattering resting face.

Want to convert to the church of squinching? Stand in front of the mirror and get practicing... just make sure you don’t slip into your best Blue Steel.

Follow us on Twitter: @ESLife&Style

Read More

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in