The power of lighting has caused a woman to go viral after sharing two very different passport photo results.
On July 16, Australian resident Willow Tonkin (@willowtonkin) posted a video to TikTok. She compared two separate passport photo results altered by differences in lighting. The video has amassed over 3.2 million views as of Sunday.
Not the results she was expecting
Tonkin is in her car, showing audiences two different photos taken. The video’s text overlay reads, “Post office did my passport photos so dirty.”
“So the [expletive] post office ones… slay,” she said to the camera. “And then these ones… oh my god… what the [expletive]. That’s not what I look like. That’s what I look like.”
In one photo, her skin is shiny and seemingly poreless. The other photo, however, has more prominent shadows.
“Getting passport photos really be so humbling,” wrote Tonkin in the caption.
Viewers weren’t on her side
Many commenters criticized her for having passport photos that appeared edited and filtered.
“The purpose of passport photos is to identify your corpse if you die overseas,” claimed one user. “You’re not supposed to look good for these photos.”
“The second one shows more detail, that’s definitely you girl,” wrote one comment.
“You’re not supposed to look like a highly filtered Instagram model for legal documents,” said another.
However, Tonkin provided some clarity in a response to that comment. “Mate the first photo is not edited,” she clarified. “The second one however they have put a piece of cardboard over the light – this created a shadow over my face ( they were trying to remove the shine off my forehead which occurred with the flash).”
Responding to the many comments about her appearance, she posted a follow-up video. “Hot take… I look like both,” she said. “One just has better lighting.”
She followed up in another video clarifying that she didn’t edit either photo. “Buddy… neither of them are edited,” she said. “It’s just better lighting. Ok? That’s all.
Can you edit your passport photos?
The idea that someone could be delayed for not looking like their passport photo is not unheard of. In May 2023, TikToker Alisha Marie (@alishamarie) posted a viral TikTok claiming that she was nearly not allowed on her flight for not looking like her passport photo. “They almost didn’t let me on my flight because they said I don’t look like my passport,” she said.
In January 2024, TikToker Amy Chang (@bondenavant) posted a similar video. In the viral video, she is on a plane, with text overlay that reads, “When they almost don’t let me board the plane because my passport photo was taken after doing too much masseter [bo]tox and before my plast!c surg3ry.”
@willowtonkin Getting passport photos really be so humbling #passportphotomakeup #passport ♬ original sound – Willow Tonkin
The Mary Sue reached out to Willow Tonkin for comment.
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