It’s a little of both. Tiny changes in clothing, colors, posture and posing can dramatically alter appearance of a subject. This is commonly used in photography- before and after a for example and ads to sell products, and people who make a living or have their lives linked to their public appearance know how to show their best angles, pose and move in ways that are flattering. Some people also just naturally are better at doing this intuitively. So the “fitted” clothes make a dramatic difference- so does the posture. Often- if we don’t know the tricks we are seeing we don’t realize they are even being used.
As a side note- this is why one should be skeptical of before and afters- and one of many reasons why one shouldn’t compare themselves to photos or feel bad seeing “good pictures” of others. And that is all before lighting and camera techniques, makeup, filters, and editing come in to play.
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