Child ruins every picture!

[mi*vida*loca]

Yeesh, folks. I wasn't trying to claim that my region's* use of the term is the one and only "correct" way. (Nor is your use "correct," just regionally different, even if that's the way it's more commonly used.) When I realized that other people were defining it differently than I've ever heard before, I said I hoped the OP would clarify how s/he was using the word. 'Cuz, you know, apparently the meaning changes depending on where you live, so I don't know if the twelve year old was duck-facing and giving bunny ears or refusing to smile, and I was just trying to understand the context.

Now, out of curiosity, what does 'mug' mean to everyone else? As in, "The first thing I saw when I opened the door was his mug." Around here it means 'ugly face.'

*DC/Baltimore

Mugging to me means a mean face. Like the Ice Cube pictures previously posted.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Mugging to me means a mean face. Like the Ice Cube pictures previously posted.

And you're in Jersey, right? I wonder if this is an East Coast thing, or maybe mid-Atlantic region.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

And you're in Jersey, right? I wonder if this is an East Coast thing, or maybe mid-Atlantic region.

Yes I'm in South Jersey. About 5 minutes from Philly.

 

[Poohforyou]

My dd went through a phase where she didn't want her picture taken. She'd let me take it sometimes but not others. She was a preschooler.

I remember her hiding under the dining room table because my mil kept trying to take pictures. She thought dd was being silly. Too bad. Now, dd didn't make a fuss and wasn't rude. She just went somewhere she couldn't be bothered.

I wouldn't punish a child for not wanting to be in a picture. I can't imagine doing that. There are plenty of times I've opted out of pictures.

I definitely think the op's granddaughter should be told her behavior in the picture wasn't acceptable and next time if she can't conduct herself properly she can opt out. Call out the behavior not the person.

 

[King Schultz]

Aren't there still wooden 'stocks' over by the Haunted Presidents attraction?

Perhaps a prolonged, public beating and a few hours in the stocks would remind the little monster what Disney Magic is supposed to mean!!

 

[PollyannaMom]

And you're in Jersey, right? I wonder if this is an East Coast thing, or maybe mid-Atlantic region.

I'm on the East Coast (near Boston) and thought "mugging for the camera" was making silly faces.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

I'm on the East Coast (near Boston) and thought "mugging for the camera" was making silly faces.

Cool, cool, we're narrowing it down. North to Jersey but south of Boston.

 

[L&Lfan]

The definition of mugging is becoming as controversial as the definition of what no swimming means on a sign.

 

[Hikergirl]

I'm from the Northeast, a NYer, and I have never heard the term mugging for the camera. Mugging to me means getting robbed, so I can't figure out what kind of face it is for the camera LOL

 

[King Schultz]

Being from Long Beach CA. I assumed 'mugging' meant the kid punched the camera man and took off with his wallet.

 

[Wishing on a star]

But in regard to the OP, I have a 12yo daughter, and they ALL make those pouty face, peace signs in pictures. I log into her Instagram account and look at her friend's picture..more pouty lips and peace signs. One of my favorite pictures of her and I is from Epcot...and she's doing the exact same thing. It's the way they are these days.

See, THAT one particular comment is what would bother me enough to become angry and call that kid out... bigger than life....
I seriously don't care what 'mugging' and 'selfies' they are all into.
I recognize that it is narcissism, pure and simple.

It isn't always 'all about them', and 'how they are these days'.
God help us.
If a kid doesn't know that the behaviors and language and gestures that they might think are appropriate with their friends is sometimes just NOT APPROPRIATE in other situations, then I would have a problem with that. The 'mugging' that they do in their precious selfies just might not be what is called for in that family vacation 'grandma photo' that somebody paid $$$ for.

 

[brooke789]

I'd like to add to the "mugging". My Mom is a 6th grade teacher in SC. She says mug referring to someone's "ugly face". She'll say "I didn't want to see your mug". I guess it's a 12 year olds word. I'd never heard it before she started saying it a few years ago.

 

[RedAngie]

Use to live in South Jersey, now in northern Delaware. I always thought mugging for the camera meant scrunching up your face, sticking out your tongue, or doing something equally silly.

I remember when I was about 12, my parents got PO'd at me for ruining one of those arcade photo booth strips of 4 B&W photos for a quarter. (25 cents, WAY back in the Stone Ages). Yep, I was mugging in all 4 poses.

 

[Tuffcookie]

OP, I was having a canvas print made of my oldest DS and his family for Christmas this last year. I was trying to make sure the granddog was just right in the picture so I wasn't paying attention to what my granddaughter was doing. She was rolling her eyes! And of course, this was the best picture of everyone else! I found a local company in NE Ohio that edits photos for a nominal fee. (It cost me $3.00 to have the rolling eyes swapped out for a set of "normal" eyes.) I was amazed at their work!
Here is what the photo looked like before the editing:


And this was after:


The name of the company is Pro Image Experts and they are located in Solon, OH.

Hope they can help you get a great group shot from your vacation.

TC

 

[L&Lfan]

I can remember hearing mug being used for face in general and ugly face in particular from gangster films from the 1930s and the Our Gang shorts. Isn't the gangster in The great Movie Ride referred to as "Mugsy"?

Mugging for the camera to me always meant making silly/goofy faces like RedAngie said above.

I was born and reared in the south but have lived in south Jersey (Atlantic County) for 32 years.

I don't think the difference in "meaning" is as much "regional" as it is how broad your view is of popular culture and phraseology.

 

[gwynne]

See, THAT one particular comment is what would bother me enough to become angry and call that kid out... bigger than life....
I seriously don't care what 'mugging' and 'selfies' they are all into.
I recognize that it is narcissism, pure and simple.

It isn't always 'all about them', and 'how they are these days'.
God help us.
If a kid doesn't know that the behaviors and language and gestures that they might think are appropriate with their friends is sometimes just NOT APPROPRIATE in other situations, then I would have a problem with that. The 'mugging' that they do in their precious selfies just might not be what is called for in that family vacation 'grandma photo' that somebody paid $$$ for.

I think it's mostly about time and place. Kids need to be taught what is acceptable behavior can vary with time and place.
Mugging for the camera is likely fun for kids with their friends and that's fine. Repeatedly mugging for the camera at (for example) a family reunion photo shoot is poor behavior.
If adults are trying to take a family group shot allow time first for some goofiness, a couple of funny shots. Get that out of the way, then ask for one or two shots for grandma and call it a day.

 

[King Schultz]

My parents insisted we make funny faces in every photo; if we didn't we were beaten mercilessly.


I tell ya, it wasn't easy being a child of 2 professional mimes.

 

[gwynne]

My parents insisted we make funny faces in every photo; if we didn't we were beaten mercilessly.


I tell ya, it wasn't easy being a child of 2 professional mimes.

 

[Magpie]

I'd like to add to the "mugging". My Mom is a 6th grade teacher in SC. She says mug referring to someone's "ugly face". She'll say "I didn't want to see your mug". I guess it's a 12 year olds word. I'd never heard it before she started saying it a few years ago.

It's actually a really old word, so much so that I think it'd be hilarious to hear a bunch of Carolinian sixth graders talking like old timey gangsters.

From: http://www.neatorama.com/2013/05/29/Why-is-a-Face-called-a-Mug/

"Mug" predates old-time Movieland, though. It has been used as a noun to describe the face and as a verb of the word "grimace" since the 17th century. It most likely derives from "mugg," a Scandinavian word for a drinking vessel.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, mugs were often decorated with cartoonishly-drawn human faces. This may have led to the use of "mug" as a synonym for an ugly face. Although a bit archaic, "mug" is still used to describe a less-than-beautiful face.

 

[gwynne]

It's actually a really old word, so much so that I think it'd be hilarious to hear a bunch of Carolinian sixth graders talking like old timey gangsters.

From: http://www.neatorama.com/2013/05/29/Why-is-a-Face-called-a-Mug/

Your post reminded me of Toby Mugs. Been around ages, they still make them I think. Not the most attractive "faced" mugs.