It already is brushed upwards....scout's honor:) In all of the photos I brushed my hair straight upwards about 3-4 times, cause I wanted 100% honest pics, the flash and the background is the same too. My hair is a little longer in the first two photos, but that's not why it looks so much denser. The hairs have just totally grown in!
Also, my hair is very thick and curly, and brushing it upwards didn't change how dense it looked, especially since it's not that long in the last photo.