Q. Why does my new passport look weird?

2021 marked the start of the "Next Generation" passport, which has some significant changes from the previous appearance of the passport book.  These changes are described here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/passport-help/next-generation-passport.html

You may note that the main photo is now black and white and etched into the plastic page, rather than a color print attached to the page, and there is a holographic "variable feature" over a portion of the photo.  This is not a printing error, but a security feature. There is a second page that has a color photo of you on a paper page.   

The photos may appear fuzzy or odd, but that is not abnormal and will not cause the passport to be rejected at travel gates