lifestyle

Watch out, duck face - there's a new selfie trend in town.

Take a look at these selfies:

What do they all have in common?

Duck face.

The pouted, scrunched face that has proliferated Facebook and Instagram feeds for the past couple of years. It’s a bit of fun, a bit flirty, a bit cheeky.

But it’s so 2012.

The new bird face du jour is that of the sparrow.

Sparrow face is the look that all the cool kids are DP-ing. Because why be a a clunky duck when you can be a dainty little sparrow?

As an aside: if ducks had photo-based social media channels, do you think they would try and pull human faces? Is there some app called Finchstagram filled with pictures of birds pushing their ears out of the sides of their heads and straightening their backs?

But, we digress. Sparrow face. Back to sparrow face.

How do you pull off a sparrow face? We’re so glad you asked. Allow Mamamia’s editor, Jamila (and her two university degrees and five years in politics), to demonstrate:

 

Excellent job Jam. Sexy indeed. For those of you keen to try this ‘hot’ new look, here are the three key points to hit:

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1) Eyes. Make them big. The aim of the game is to look like an anime character. So try and raise your eyebrows and widen your eyes, without creasing your forehead.

2) Nose. Elongated noses are key. You want your nose to look like a beak.

This is where sparrow face differs from your ol’ friend the duck face. In duck face, your pouted mouth forms the duck’s bill, and your nose is a bit of a non-event. But, in sparrow face, you need to make your nose play the role of the sparrow’s beak. This is best achieved by a slight flaring of the nostrils, and downward angling of the face.

3) Mouth. Pout it, but not too much. You don’t want to look like some loser doing the duck face, now.

Try to keep the corners of your mouth in their natural spot, exclusively moving the region between your nose and your chin outward. Don’t worry if you end up opening your mouth a little. In fact, many of the best sparrow face pics feature a slightly open mouth. But – whatever you do – don’t show your teeth. Sparrows don’t have teeth.

Here are some textbook examples:

Have you ever put on a sparrow face?