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At this point, Instagram looks like an alternate universe. A place governed by its own laws. A place, where the ultimate creator is photo editing software.

In fact, it's so full of fake influencers, there's even a subreddit dedicated to calling them out, r/InstagramReality. "Social media is a breeding ground for Facetune and Photoshop," the online community writes on its page. "It's unbelievable how some people get away with it while others don't!"

These Internet detectives are on the quest to expose those who have taken it too far: guys who make their biceps so big, they warp the space-time continuum, women with skin so smooth, you can't tell where they chin ends and their necks begin, they're all here.

When you're done scrolling, check out our earlier articles on the subreddit here, here, and here.

#1

I'm Calling Emergency Services. This Injury Is Serious

I'm Calling Emergency Services. This Injury Is Serious

zznnd Report

In an earlier piece on r/InstagramReality, Bored Panda spoke to Siobhan Ward, a primary therapist at Life Works, a rehabilitation center that provides treatment for addictions and eating disorders, about the scope of social media addiction in the United Kingdom.

"If you broke 'social media addiction' down into categories, it would encompass other process or behavioral addictions such as porn and gambling, as well as eating disorders, especially predominant with the likes of Instagram," Ward explained. "It may be that the addiction is not with the social media itself, but the social media has become a tool of other addictions."

The therapist thinks people can't stop faking and editing their Instagram photos (even when it's an obvious lie) because of brain chemistry. "Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that comes into play with the addict — it is what tells us that we enjoy something and therefore need to do it again as it gives us pleasure."

"If the person is taking a lot of selfies that have to be 'perfect', then maybe they are not addicts. Instead, this could be a sign of a possible narcissistic personality disorder. Also, if someone is posting pictures to get as many likes as possible, they may not be getting certain needs met in their life. They may not have the love, support, or even safety that they need now or that they needed when they grew up and therefore have had to find another way to fill that hole," Ward said.

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Interestingly, being reminded that social media is fake can also 'fill' us. In a 2019 study, researchers decided to investigate the effect 'Instagram vs. Reality' pictures (the ones containing side-by-side photographs of the same woman, one an idealized depiction and the other a more natural depiction) have on body image.

They got together 305 women aged between 18 and 30 years, the largest demographic group of Instagram users. The sample had a mean age of 25.34 years, and their mean body mass index (BMI) was 26.98, indicating a slightly overweight sample. The majority of participants identified as Caucasian (69.2%), followed by Latino/Hispanic (11.8%), African American (10.2%), Asian (6.6%), Native American (0.3%), and 'other' (2.0%). The participants were randomly assigned to view one of three sets of Instagram images over a period of time: 'Instagram vs. reality" images, the 'ideal' side alone, or the 'real' side alone.

#7

You Have Got To Be Kidding Me

You Have Got To Be Kidding Me

scorpiopath_ Report

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shell_of_pender avatar
cybermerlin2000 avatar
finskilad avatar
TmKhr
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She probably has to turn sideways to fit through doors

kathrynbaylis_1 avatar
Kathryn Baylis
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Back in the day SNL did a whole series of sketches about a family that had these proportions.

anne-karina avatar
Anne
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

lol.. she forgot to fix the background while photoshopping..

soul_and_sunset avatar
Jubum
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

a slap in the face for all women who have serious problems with saddlebags.

grubbster55 avatar
Andrew Gibb
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

in the words of Shakira- them hips don't lie (much or too often)

tessasilva489 avatar
idrow avatar
Id row
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think that's one of those carnival fun house mirrors.

natalie_seaton0 avatar
Natalie Seaton
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Handy. When you need an extra hand, you just put your beer can on your side, and carry on.

btcvsolo avatar
Benjamin Thor Collier V
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well...at least the old joke about strapping a board to yer asss so you don’t fall in doesn’t apply with her...

virgilblue avatar
Virgil Blue
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

1st year art student discovers the distort, pinch and bloat tools in Photoshop.

scigib avatar
Karin Gibson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can't see any distortion around her she could be just morbidly obese.

kd965073 avatar
Kelzbelz79
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks stupid....these people actually think these are good pics.

linkyjackson avatar
Roni Jackson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This woman has a form of lymphadema shame on you for not educating yourself prior to making such rude comments.

genevievelagrou avatar
Anonymousplease
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And she's probably a good looking g lady underneath the bad photoshop

waterdaughter8000 avatar
WaterRat_
Community Member
9 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So what you're saying is that you need hips larger than my roku tv to look hot??

dodsonmichelle avatar
Celtic Pirate Queen
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I pity anyone with this level of insecurity. Seriously? She looks in the mirror and says, "Yeah, baby - I look great!"? Poor soul.

unicornthatisawesome avatar
Ocean
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

that has gotta be edited. if your butt was that big, your body would be about that fat. i ain't dumb

miss_sammi_dee avatar
Shelley DuVal
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

photoshopped, if you look harder at the picture you can see a distinct white line around the woman

dks001 avatar
DKS 001
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

every time I see a bubble butt (real or fake) I'm thinking "I can help you, you can help me. I have aaallll this butt fat I don't want, you can use it. Wanna trade?"

yoshimisugai avatar
Vermillion Ace #443
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Everything I hate about Instagram and opulence, all in one image. 😐

itzel-ocampo avatar
Izzy_
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Guys, she's just standing in front of a funhouse mirror XD

veni_vidi_vicky avatar
Vicky Zar
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Hey, thats not photoshop! She is standing in front of one of those mirrors that contort your image

katelee_1 avatar
Kate Lee
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Uhhhhh.... how would you sit if u had a a$$ that huge???

cameronalford avatar
Car addict
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

linkyjackson avatar
Roni Jackson
Community Member
2 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

dc1 avatar
DC
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So, being fat is beautiful now? Or what is the goal of pretending to have a giant butt like that?

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"[The study found that] viewing the 'Instagram vs. reality' and real images resulted in decreased body dissatisfaction relative to the ideal images," the researchers wrote. "Furthermore, the detrimental effects of appearance comparison were much less marked for the 'Instagram vs. reality' and real images than for the ideal images. It was concluded that 'Instagram vs. reality' and real posts have the potential to bolster women's body satisfaction, but more research is needed to assess their longer-term impact."

Siobhan Ward said that we need to become aware of what we believe we are getting from the Internet in order to start resisting its temptation. "By understanding why [we] turn to the Internet, [we] can start to think about healthier ways to meet these needs."

#10

Nearly Had A Heart Attack When I Opened Tinder This Morning

Nearly Had A Heart Attack When I Opened Tinder This Morning

reknae Report

#11

I Was Shopping Online When I Saw This Dress... And Those Shoulders...

I Was Shopping Online When I Saw This Dress... And Those Shoulders...

saithesti Report

#12

Faking Swimming With Sharks Is A Thing Now I Guess, By Blatantly Stealing A Background Image From The Internet

Faking Swimming With Sharks Is A Thing Now I Guess, By Blatantly Stealing A Background Image From The Internet

ElonTheRocketEngine Report

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#14

Ok These Are Getting Ridiculous...

Ok These Are Getting Ridiculous...

_IssaViolin_ Report

#15

That Is One Giant Hand

That Is One Giant Hand

Leathermoss Report

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Sel Bonda
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Bold lady! Seems the hand has been pretty busy with the works.

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#16

I Can’t Decide If This Is A Joke Or Someone Actually Thinks This Is Believable...

I Can’t Decide If This Is A Joke Or Someone Actually Thinks This Is Believable...

sierradwilson Report

#17

Seems Legit (It's A Real Profile From Facebook)

Seems Legit (It's A Real Profile From Facebook)

CyberBuda Report

#18

Found In The Wild - Why Would Anyone Even Post This?

Found In The Wild - Why Would Anyone Even Post This?

Mistresskatiafoxx Report

#19

Chin To Neck Transition?

Chin To Neck Transition?

Tiffbu00 Report

#20

Found On Amazon Reviews

Found On Amazon Reviews

twittlez Report

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#24

I Can’t Look Away... The Eyes, The Teeth... So Bright. The Mouth... So Large

I Can’t Look Away... The Eyes, The Teeth... So Bright. The Mouth... So Large

TheMiddleE Report

#25

This Is Not How Real Hair Looks Like Bro

This Is Not How Real Hair Looks Like Bro

Kingmenudo Report

#28

Same Girl, 10 Year Difference (In Photoshop Skills)

Same Girl, 10 Year Difference (In Photoshop Skills)

UselessBrakes Report

#29

Ahh, They Definitely Look Alike Alright

Ahh, They Definitely Look Alike Alright

"Anyone think my mom and I look alike!? I'm 22 she's 44!"

ennortz Report

#30

Was Reading An Article About Photoshop Fails On Instagram. This Was One Of The Examples

Was Reading An Article About Photoshop Fails On Instagram. This Was One Of The Examples

NoButterOnMyBread Report

Note: this post originally had 84 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.