This Technique Will Make All Your Selfies Supersexy

Have you heard of squinching? Up until we read Who What Wear's exposé, neither had we — but trust us, once you see it, you'll recognize it! (Full disclosure: we initially thought it was some kind of cleaning product.) Portrait photographer Peter Hurley invented and coined the term for the revolutionary technique, and it's the easiest way to make any selfie worthy of profile-picture status. Celebrities (especially sexy dudes) do this all the time on the red carpet.

Squinching is a portmanteau of squinting and pinching, which is what you should apparently be doing with your eyes in every photo. According to Hurley, having wide eyes in an image makes you look afraid or uncertain. Squinching is the key to looking confident! "Narrow the distance between your lower eyelid and your pupil," advised Hurley, "bringing the top lid down just a touch." Still not convinced? A few real people took some before-and-after shots to prove the technique's power for ourselves.

"I already have almond-shaped eyes, so I didn't see how squinching would change my look that much, but I was pleasantly surprised," said Steph. "I think I look fiercer while still not giving off the impression that I tried too hard. I might actually try the squinch IRL more often."

"You would never think that a subtle squint could give you such a dramatic result. I always thought if I opened up my eyes more, my face would look a lot more awake, but I always just ended up looking like a deer in headlights," explained Victor. "It did take a few practices to get the squinch just right, but after a while, it felt so natural."

"When I smile, I usually don't even think about what my eyes look like. I have almond-shaped eyes, so I was skeptical that squinching would make them look too small," Macy remarked. "When I tried to squinch, I couldn't help but laugh because I was focusing so hard on my eyes that I forgot to do anything with my mouth! Nonetheless, I think with a little more practice, I see how it can make anyone look pretty damn good. Brb, gotta go to squinch practice . . . "