>"I'd like to look like the guy on the right, but I'd rather be friends with the guy on the left"
This exactly. But I think the photo itself plays into that as well. It's not just a "safety" thing. (I'm not disagreeing that that's an aspect of it as well, though.)
The pose in the photo on the left comes off as more casual. "Hey, okay, I'm at the gym. Sure, let's do this before photo thing". The pose on the right comes off as "look at me! I'm showing off!". I mean, sure, nothing wrong with that in this context. I'd be proud too. But it's harder to relate to the person photographed as explicitly trying to be a show off than to the same person in a more casual (but still posed) position. The photograph on the left just comes off as a bit more humble and relatable just due to the pose / general vibe.
This exactly. But I think the photo itself plays into that as well. It's not just a "safety" thing. (I'm not disagreeing that that's an aspect of it as well, though.)
The pose in the photo on the left comes off as more casual. "Hey, okay, I'm at the gym. Sure, let's do this before photo thing". The pose on the right comes off as "look at me! I'm showing off!". I mean, sure, nothing wrong with that in this context. I'd be proud too. But it's harder to relate to the person photographed as explicitly trying to be a show off than to the same person in a more casual (but still posed) position. The photograph on the left just comes off as a bit more humble and relatable just due to the pose / general vibe.