We are all aware that not everything we see on social media represents reality, including lifestyles and body types.

That is why it is critical to approach certain situations with caution, especially when there are obvious grounds to be skeptical.

If you’re not sure what we’re talking about, scroll down to see some examples of people going beyond photo editing, as provided by the ‘Instagram Reality’ subreddit.

These photographs are relatively extreme cases of altered reality uploaded on social media, ranging from editing gone bad to excessive use of airbrush and filters, among other things. If you want to have a good laugh, you might just prefer them the way that they are.

Below are some of the interviews from BoredPanda with Dr. Cortney S. Warren, PhD, ABPP, a board-certified clinical psychologist and author of the books Letting Go of Your Ex and Lies We Tell Ourselves: The Psychology of Self-Deception, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions about how social media can influence our body image views.

Also, we have given the list of the 15 Instagrammers Who Edited Their Pictures So Much, They Got Shamed For It Online in a funny new pics.

1. Filtered Photo vs. Unfiltered Screenshot From Dress Designer

 

According to Dr. Warren, our sociocultural beliefs and standards about appearance place such a high priority on beauty and physical appearance that remaining optimistic when you don’t look like the perfect person is challenging at best. Furthermore, it frequently leads people on a never-ending quest to achieve an ideal figure, which is impossible.

“In essence, our body is transformed into ‘a project to mend’ rather than a part of ourselves to accept, enjoy, and love. This encourages weight-based shaming, taunting, and bullying over body image and looks, all of which can occur in social media situations,” Warren added.

“All of these factors can interact to put someone—especially young girls—at increased risk for eating disorder symptoms like binge eating, body dissatisfaction, restrictive eating, body image distortion, chronic dieting, and thin-ideal internalization.”

2. What She Lacks In Calves She Makes Up In Shoe Size

In a previous interview, Zaza9000, the chief moderator of the r/Instagramreality subreddit, told Bored Panda that 2020 was “hard on all of us,” so they strive to make the community simple to engage with and participate in. The subreddit’s popularity stems from its openness. “Last year so many people have shared interesting stories from their personal lives and I really hope we can carry that into 2021.”

According to the top moderator, there have been some changes in how people update their post. For example, video editing has recently gained popularity over photo editing. “Especially programs like Facetune2 and SNOW, which let you alter your body, and some Instagram effects that can make your lips appear larger and your skin appear unnaturally flawless. “Seeing them glitch in videos has been a very popular topic on the sub,” they said.

3. “One Month After Giving Birth”

When discussing social media and its impact on people’s body image, clinical psychologist Dr. Cortney S. Warren emphasized how widely used it is around the world; according to Pew Research Center data from 2023, more than 80% of adults in the US use YouTube, nearly 70% use Facebook, and nearly half spend their time browsing Instagram.

“Social media is simply one of many forms of media that express cultural ideas and standards, including interactive experiences and reflections on beauty ideals. As a result, she said that social media use and interaction frequently have a detrimental impact on people’s body image.

4. Now Girl

In an age of “perfect people” on social media and unrealistic beauty standards, photo editing software is essential for many. However, as more individuals modify their photos before publishing, the traits that distinguish us as humans—such as wrinkles or stretch marks—are gradually disappearing.

“The more photo-edited an image is, the more unrealistic our ideals of beauty become because most people see them as ‘real’ even when no one actually looks like the image; not even professional models,” Dr. Warren said.

5. Plastic Surgeons Now Yassifing Their Patients On Social Media

6. 50 Year Old Man Who Found Fame As A Female Motorcyclist

7. What She Posted vs. What The Makeup Artist Posted

8. All My Friends Have Been Drooling Over This On Facebook, But I Can’t Get Over How Tiny Her Head Is

“Mainstream American culture has strong beliefs that can affect people’s body image. For example, physical appearance is essential to a person’s value—how you look has a huge impact on how valuable you are as a human being,” the expert explained.

“Additionally, the desired appearance is extremely specific and strict. For women, it is a slender, fit, youthful physique with clear skin and bright eyes. For guys, it’s a muscular, tough, and attractive physique with no fat.Finally, there is enormous pressure to achieve the ideal—it is your obligation to meet the ideal (or at least try to), and much of our marketing is designed to make you feel horrible so you will buy products or diets to achieve the ideal.”

9. What They Post vs. Tagged

10. A Popular Tiktoker’s Instagram vs. Tagged Posts

11. They Really Post This Thinking It Looks Good

“The bottom line is that when people are on social media, they are often exposed to idealized and highly valued ideals of appearance in a way that makes them feel less valued and attractive,” Dr. Cortney S. Warren said, summarizing the impact of edited-to-perfection photographs on internet users.

12. This Mom Facetuning And Photoshopping Herself And Her Son’s Girlfriend

13. Girl Be So Fr ? Last Pic Is Irl

 

14. This Girl Has Several Thousand Followers. All Her Posts Are The Same Exact Face

15. I Feel Yall Would Absolutely Eat Her Up Here

Third, practice thankfulness for your body and other elements of yourself. “Take the time to enjoy everything about your physique and looks. Furthermore, remember to base your self-esteem on qualities of yourself other than your physical appearance.

“Try not to compare yourself to others who you think represent the best (people or media images),” said Warren. “Try to focus on yourself without comparing your looks to models, media images, or even friends and family who you think represent “the best,” because it often will make you feel worse about yourself.”