In Japan, it's become a rite of passage. For years now, the country's youth have piled into sticker picture machines at their local arcades and snapped photos with friends. But times change, and so do trends. As the years go by, sticker picture companies must keep pace.
That's led to some unflattering photos.
Almost a decade ago, the trend was pale skin. So, sticker picture companies rolled out machines that could brighten your complexion. Then, the thing was big eyes, so likewise, sticker picture companies had machines outfitted with face recognition software that would make your peepers appear larger.
And now? Now, young Japanese women want longer legs. This is a trend originally fueled in part by the long-limbed Korean pop groups like Girl's Generation—something Kotaku first mentioned earlier this year.
Sticker pictures aren't just the Japanese equivalent of photo booths. The point of them is to look better than in real life, and thus, to meet this latest trend, sticker pictures that can make your legs appear long began appearing. One machine, Kirei Navi 2, even offers the ability to select from their different leg lengths! The way the software works is to "stretch" the image at the top and the bottom. Hardly sophisticated, but it's serviceable.
In Japan, among male and females, the reaction to these sticker pics has ranged from "amazing" to "what the..." Even the folks who posed for the pictures are surprised by the results, with photos giving ridiculously long legs or even causing people to appear malnourished! Have a look for yourself.
Here's a comparison that shows just how much the software can alter the length of your legs.
See how the girl's head looks unnaturally large? That's because anything in the top of the frame is stretched.
Likewise, anything at the bottom of the frame is elongated.
And here are some pics of the past sticker picture software that gave people larger, totally unnatural eyes.
I thought this one was my favorite.
Until, I saw this.
ロング？ みいぽよ(クキプロ)
ぷりくら プリクラ JK 面白い おもしろ 我ながらきも(笑) [プリ画像]
エヴァンゲリオン劇場版・破、面白かったッス！！ [ＹＥＳ！プリクラ王子]
このプリクラくっそワロタwwwwwwwwwwwww [スコール]
またDQNプリクラ仕入れちゃったwwwwwwwww [あじゃじゃしたー]
怖いプリクラみつけたwwwwwwwwww [おにぎり]
今のプリクラってすごいよね [しーちゃん]
てか今のプリクラは足も細く映るからすごいよね〜！ [Twipple]
最近のプリクラ関連事情で驚いたことランキング [Girls Channel]
最近のプリ機おかしい ほんとにおかしい [@miyon_miyon]
プリクラの全身って足めっちゃ細くなるじゃん？ [@goookmgya]
うちらプリクラ撮ってて結構盛る為に真剣すぎて [Crooz]
Navi 2 [Photozou]
カッコイイ女を目指したい！ [Duras]
「Teens Report」 3 プリクラ [alluring life]
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.