22 Mar 2017

Exposed - the big fat lie that is Instagram bodies

Marisa Crous

You can go from flat-bottom-girl to bootylicious in a few seconds? Sign me up!

Oh wait. It's just a different pose...

My mom is always telling me to sit up straight and to walk tall (i.e. before it's too late and I find myself resembling the hunchback of Notre Dame).

And she's right. Posture can be everything. It can also make the difference between having what Instagram dubs "the perfect body" and having a human woman stomach with a few rolls and no butt.

So recently, an Instagram trend was started by a fitness-grammer known as @plankingforpizza showing before and after pics of her looking completely different. In the one her stomach looks ripped and in the other we see visible rolls. But here's the catch, the photos were taken seconds apart.

Lies, all lies

Read: “I lost 14kgs in 4 months to enter Miss SA” - local curvy model

I was asked how I could be both body positive and focused on losing weight and that certainly is an interesting question ?? The line between what's "healthy" or "unhealthy" or "body positive" can be really hard to define. And I've realized what I think is healthy and body positive is definitely, like most things, based on individual beliefs and opinions. Maybe you agree with mine, maybe you don't. I think what's most important is that you follow what YOU believe is right for you. My journey has always been founded on 2 principles: health and happiness. Health for me is more than the losing weight aspect. Healthy is not to "look better" it's to be better, fitter, stronger both inside and out. It's more than just eating right and exercising. It's striving for cerebral expansion and mental sharpness. Its emotional intelligence. It's a healing heart. It's becoming in tune with your authentic soul and discovering your truth. It's a freezing, thawing, and growing of your entire being. Honoring, taking care of, and respecting your body is an entity to total wellbeing. Your body shelters and protects your soul, nurture it with the love it deserves. Happiness is more of the body positive side which is not about losing or gaining weight for me. You are not you because of your body. You are YOU because of how you act, think, and feel! I am NOT happier because I'm losing weight ???? I am happier because I'm more content in WHO I am. Body positivity is an internal confidence for me. That doesn't mean I'm free of insecurities. It means I don't allow them to consume nor define me as much anymore. It's ok to love yourself AND be a work in progress at the same time!! I think you should continuously strive for self improvement in every capacity! I'm not always confident with what I look like and still have my down days, but when I redirect that negative attention and realize all the good things about WHO I am, that's where self love not only begins to grow, but flourishes ?????
A post shared by Jess (@plankingforpizza) on Jan 16, 2017 at 1:02pm PST

So in an effort to promote body positivity, Instagrammers took on the #30secondtransformation challenge - posing two different ways only a few seconds apart - and revealing a stark difference.

Mail Online notes that “If you scroll through Instagram and compare the seemingly perfect bodies of your favourite social media stars to your own, this fascinating set of images might make the process less disheartening.”

???? @jaeatleta ··· ????Perfectly Imperfect???? This was definitely not the photo I intended to share. I realize Instagram is mostly a highlight reel and we share our very best photos but I want to be as real and transparent as I can with all of you beauties and show the 'imperfect' along with the highlights. Guys, I've had 3 beautiful babies.. that's 3 giant pregnancies.. along with 3 chances of stretch marks.. This body has been through a whole lot of changes! For that reason I will never judge someone else for their body. I don't know their story or what they've been through or the true strength that is within them. Imperfections make you real, approachable, human and one of a kind ?? #perfectlyimperfect #30secondtransformation
A post shared by Daily Fitspiration (@dailydoseoffitspiration) on Oct 1, 2016 at 9:07am PDT

On social media I rarely show you my flaws. I don't show you my flared up and painful acne, or my stomach when it's bloated and at it's worst. I usually tense my abs and suck in a lot ????. I rarely show you my thighs that touch when I'm standing, or my belly rolls, or my cellulite. "But you don't have any of those things Em, shut up". Precisely, because I cover up my 'flaws' on Instagram, just like 90% of people. I pose. I wear makeup. I filter my images. I present my best parts. Remember this when you're aimlessly scrolling; Instagram is not real life ?? It's full of tricks and angles and editing. Which is fine, but just take this into consideration. Never get sucked into the comparison trap. . Also it's important to be aware that there's nothing wrong with "rolls", touching thighs, cellulite, and dare I say it, acne. You weren't put on the earth to be perfect. What even is perfection, anyway? Happy #realitycheck Sunday ??
A post shared by ELF (@emlouisefitness) on Feb 26, 2017 at 12:24pm PST

Same body ? Different attitude? I'm pretty sure you've all seen a million #30secondtransformation / #transformation now. And I don't want to withhold mine ?????? it's my body on both pictures. The same flaws, the same amount of bod fat, the same amount of stretch marks, the same scars on my knee, the same little birthmark that I don't like, the same amount of weak connective tissue , the same hair that's doing whatever it wants - but the pictures show one important difference: my attitude towards my body ????‍?? - ?? YOU decide the way you see yourself, you can either look into the mirror and see a woman who is aware of all her flaws and defining herself over what she is not. - ?? Or you can see a woman with confidence, a woman who decided to accept her body, her imperfections, her uniqueness in every way. Without doubt. Without fear. Seeing her beauty, her strength. Your decision. Tagged people show me one thing you love about yourself ?#ThethingIlove - #selflove #bbgcommunity #bbggirls #tuesdaytransformation #kaylaitsines #bbgnewbie #bbgprogress #bbgtransformation #loveyourself #bikini #beautiful #fitness #sweatwithkayla #strong
A post shared by @hi_im_alice on Mar 14, 2017 at 5:01am PDT

Let's talk about angles and poses. Different poses end up giving different results. These 2 pictures were taken 5 minutes apart from each other, although the one shows a flat stomach and the other one shows my tummy flab. Same body, same day, different position. Don't be fooled by what you see on social media or in magazines. We are definitely not sitting or standing in the flattering poses that we see on Instagram or in glamour magazines all the time (that will be a workout in itself). We are human. We take our bras off when we get home and we wear a T-shirt on the days we are bloated. Models, celebrities and all of us post pictures that show the best and most beautiful angles of ourselves, which is great! We all deserve to look and feel fabulous. BUT you can't compare your academic, no-bra day with the perfectly airbrushed images in the magazine you are flipping through while procrastinating. ;) It's not realistic. You are beautiful and worthy without airbrush, make up or the perfect pose. Happy Human Rights day! Photo credits: @janaengelbrechtphoto #bodypositive #bodypositivety #healthnotsize #beautybeyondsize #inshapemyshape #bopo #angles #poses #dontbefooled #lingerie #whitelace #curvemodel #curves #bebodyaware #embracethesquish #droptheplus #iamallwoman
A post shared by Marciel Hopkins (@marcielhopkins) on Mar 20, 2017 at 10:56pm PDT

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