China will let you retake that awkward ID picture you hate so much
Everyone hates their ID photos, but citizens in a growing number of cities in China are getting a chance to get one they like.
Local reports say northern China's Hebei province started a new photo system, giving a remote control to people to trip the shutter themselves. After the photo is taken, they'll be allowed to review it and reshoot if they aren't happy with the result.
This replaces the old system, where a police officer takes your picture for you, said the official Xinhua news agency.
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Fukang City in the Xinjiang region also announced over the weekend that it's started to offer a similar remote control system. It said in a Weibo post that people will be able to preview the shot on a high-definition screen before the shot is taken. "If you're not satisfied, you can retake the shot, so more people have control over how their photos look," it said.
Elsewhere in China, people are getting a rare chance to beautify their ID photos, too. In Shenzhen, several professional photo studios are reportedly authorised to take official ID shots, and the Jilin province's photo system includes editing software that the police commissioned, to help tweak shots to make people look better.
"I'll still love you even if you end up looking like your ID picture."
"I'll still love you even if you end up looking like your ID picture."
Public dissatisfaction with their ID shots is quite real. In a survey last year, over half of 2,000 online users surveyed said they were unhappy with how they looked on their IDs. The rest were neutral, and only 9% actually liked their shots.
On Weibo, people express their nervousness about their ID pictures constantly. This user says: "I've lost my ID card, but I'm not upset. My new photo ID must look good though. Must look good. Must look good. I've said what matters three times, goodnight."
This user says: "Tomorrow I have to take my photo ID. I'm so nervous, so nervous."
And in this post, this user shows us how a backhanded compliment is really made. "I'll still love you even if you end up looking like your ID picture."
This anxiety over ID photos is why posts like these teaching people how to look better in them are not unusual, even printed in national papers.
In this Weibo post from state-run People's Daily, you're taught how to pose to avoid getting a double chin, and how to hold a white card to bounce light onto your face.
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Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
