Are iPhone cameras really that wrong about how I look?

I decided to do a kind of experiment. I used an iPhone 5 camera.

First I took a photo of me (I'm not going to sugar coat it, I looked horrific) and compared it to myself in the mirror (which looked a LOT better), I then Showed the photo to my mother, who also thought I looked horrific in the photo compared to real life (I didn't mention my own opinions when I asked her).

Then I took a photo of her, who hated her picture compared to in the mirror, and it honestly looked like she's aged 20 years in that photo, it was awful.

So all in all, are me and my mom just not photogenic, or are cameras just wrong? I mean, I know I'm not pretty, but I like to think I'm at least a step up from Gollum.

Added (1). Oh, and by the way, I know about how photos are 2D unlike the way we see people in real life, and I know about how our mirror image being a flipped version of how we actually look changes how we see ourselves.

Sometimes especially if there's not flash, a phone does not pick up enough light to make us look as nice or flattering as we do. That was most likely it.

First, a mirror image is reversed left to right, but it's how you are used to seeing yourself -- while a camera image isn't. So if you're not aware of that, you might think you always look "odd" in photos.
Second, cameras (especially a lousy tiny sensor like in the iphone) have limited dynamic range, while your eyes compensate for dynamic range on the fly. That means the photo will look a lot more "contrasty," will emphasize lighting differences, and will have a lot less shadow and highlight detail than what you perceive with your eyes -- and that makes a big difference.
Finally, since the photo is a moment captured, which you can "study" over and over to pick out all the details and flaws, and what you see is continuously changing, leaving no way to do the same kind of intense study/nitpicking, you'll notice flaws in a photo more than with your eyes.

Take the photos outside on a sunny day. I've got an iP5c and the camera is good enough to take decent photos of people.

Your iPhone is a phone and should not be confused with a real camera. What you're seeing is lens distortion. The camera built into your cell phone has a very wide angle. Because of this you need to relatively close to your subject in order to fill up the frame with their likeness. This close proximity causes facial features to be elongated and distorted in a very unflattering way.
The only way to avoid this is to put down the iPhone and pick up a real camera that has a zoom lens that get out to a telephoto position which will not have any of the distortions of your iPhone. Otherwise you will be making everyone you take pictures of look bad.

A mirror shows a REVERSED image of you. But it's what you are used to seeing so looks normal to you.
A photo shows a TRUE image. You think you look bad because you rarely see that side of you and it looks strange compared to the mirror you are used to.
Another thing is. Phone cameras have a wide angle lens which distorts the face if held too close (arm's length)

Oh not again. The idiot question that gets asked like 10 times a day.

Your iPhone is only phone - NOT A PROPER CAMERA. It has a wide angle lens which makes selfies look horrible.

Are iPhone users really this dumb? It seems to be that iPhone users ask this question more often than any other.