A quick scroll through social media and you might begin to think that you’re not good enough. There, people look so happy, so beautiful, it’s as if the whole world is theirs.
But it’s important to remember that their uploads are just snapshots and that they often don’t reflect the full story, either. To illustrate this point, we present to you the subreddit ‘Instagram Reality.’
Its 1.2 million members regularly share images that expose the fake people online, highlighting just how ridiculous their photo editing has become. There’s always more than meets the eye.
#1 What She Posted vs. What The Man On The Right Posted
#2 When You Skip Left Arm Day On Photoshop?
Such edits might seem insignificant, but they contribute to the overall online landscape, and social media has been shown tonegatively impact mental health, especially for teens.
Posts, likes, and comments can contribute to feelings of perfectionism, anxiety, and even body negativity.
#3 No Words, None
#4 She Looks Better Without Editing The Photos
#5 Come On…seriously?！?
Jeremy Tyler, PsyD, an assistant professor of clinical Psychiatry at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, speaks with patients about perfectionism and often addresses social media as a stressor.
“A big trigger for perfectionism is social media and that fear of missing out,” he said. “It can be challenging to take a step back and recognize that what is being posted isn’t reality.”
#6 What She Posted vs. The Clinic
#7 The Proportions And The Face Are Just Not Human
#8 She Posts A Lotta Videos So I Didn’t Expect This Stark Of A Difference
#9 Posted And Tagged
“Many assume that people with those perfect photos don’t have problems, but they do. It’s important to remember that the people behind the lens are just as stressed and nervous as everyone else,” Tyler added.
“Everybody suffers at some point or feels less than perfect. Social media expression is inherently biased because very few people aim to post about their flaws.”
#10 I Was Checking Out Tagged Photos Of A Restaurant And Stumbled Upon This
#11 Why Do People Edit Their Heads So Small? Her Hand Is Literally Twice The Size
#12 She Uses This Filter Not Only For Her But For Everyone Else
#13 Her Left Brow Has An Escape Plan
While striving for the best can be seen as a positive character trait, studies show thatperfectionism can harm our mental health.
Adolescents are increasingly holding unrealistic expectations of what they should own, how they should look, and what they need to achieve, which is linked tohigher rates of anxiety.
#14 Her Posts Have Seriously Helped Me Feel Better About My Body! Love Seeing These Types Of Photos
#15 This Lady Lives Somewhere Near Me And Frequents Dating Apps. Genuinely Disturbed Upset By Her Appearance Every Time It Crosses My Path
#16 This Girl Has Gained A Huge Following Of Mostly Men And Young Girls Because Of Her Tiny Waist. Recently She Posted Photos From A Photoshoot, Then The Photographer Posted The Originals
#17 A Little Side Head
#18 Twin Reality TV Star’s Instagram Post vs. Tagged Story Post…
#19 Legs For Days!
#20 Found By A Friend In The Wild: Filter Madness
#21 Need Help Reaching The Top Shelf?
#22 The Way This Is Not A Parody Account…
#23 How Anything Thinks This Extreme Photo Shopping Looks Good/Believable Is Beyond Me
#24 I vs. R
#25 A Totally Real Body For Sure
#26 Something Is Very Wrong Here
#27 She Swears She’s A Baddie
#28 Back In Black
#29 How Can They Smell Without Nostrils
#30 This Woman I Met Years Ago Posting Progressively Weirder Stuff On Facebook
#31 What She Posts vs. What She Looks Like Irl
#32 This Makes Me So Sad. There’s So Many Things Wrong About This
#33 Mother/Daughter? Nope, The Same Person
#34 Pic By Photographer vs. Pic From Her Instagram
#35 Found One In The Wilds Of My Ig Feed
#36 My 60 Something Year Old Aunt Discovered Filters And Promptly Lost Her Nose 🫠
#37 People Love To Look Ai Generated
#38 Posted vs. Tagged
#39 I Love Hear
#40 People In The Comments Are Insisting It’s Real…
#41 Travel-Fluencer Simply Photoshopped Herself Into The Location. 1m+ Followers
#42 Ok Is It Just Me Or Did She Photoshop Herself In Front Of A Crowd
#43 The Background Is So Bad, Everyone Is Calling It Out In The Comments
#44 This Is Insane!
#45 Do People Really Think This Is Normal?
#46 Found On Facebook
#47 Ouch
#48 Mom Come Pick Me Up I’m Scared
#49 Found This One In The Wild. How The Hell Do People Think This Is Real?
#50 The Number Of Likes Tho
#51 An Extremely Filtered Photo Of A Singer / A Less Filtered, With Make-Up Photo
#52 Can Someone Help Me Understand What’s Happening Here?
#53 Seen While Swiping Lol
#54 Say What Now?
#55 What She Regularly Posts vs. What A Photographer Posted
#56 I Just…i Don’t Even Have Words. I Need The X-Ray
#57 What She’s Tagged In vs. What She Posted
#58 First Time I Watch The News In Years (The Titan Sub Thing) And I Am Shocked At How Strong The Filters Are In The Studio
#59 “I Don’t Photoshop”
#60 My Friend Found Him On Tinder
#61 Influencer Denies Using Video Editors To Make Her Waist Smaller
#62 This Came Up On My Instagram. It’s Not Just Me Who Thinks This Looks So Poorly Edited, Right?
#63 What’s Natural Here?
#64 Reflection?
#65 My What Big Hands You Have
#66 Notorious For Editing Herself And Her Own Sister
#67 Wow
#68 This Girl I Just Found On Twitter
#69 No Skin Texture Or Chins Allowed On Ig!
#70 Hope This Isn’t A Repost
#71 Reality TV ‘Star’ Lol
#72 Tiktok vs. Article About Him (With His Real Age)
#73 Instagram vs. Tagged Photo
#74 This Woman Is Insanely Fit But Seeing The Little Warps Has Destroyed Her Credibility For Me. She Also Posts Exercising With Her Preteen/Teen Daughter Which Is Worrying Given The Editing! Repost Bc I Included A Pic Of Her Daughter At First
#75 She Only Flies Private. These Are All In The Past 2 Months
#76 “That’s Why You Can’t Believe Everything Online, Trust Yourself And Your Own Journey”
#77 Why?
#78 The Tattoo Under The Chin Makes It Kinda Hard To Hide When You’ve Edited Your Jawline
#79 She’s Fantastic
