40 Times People Noticed These Instagrammers Who Heavily Photo-Edit Their Pictures And Exposed Them Online (New Pics)
The fact that people share an idealized version of themselves on social media, cherry-picking only the best images, thoughts, and experiences isn't new. But the lengths they go to marketing themselves keep surprising even the ones who think they've seen it all.
I'm talking about r/Instagramreality. It's a subreddit whose members strip down the glamor of make-up, flattering poses, and all kinds of photo editing, and expose the truth behind the facade. It's been around since 2017, and we've written about it numerous times (here, here, and here), but even these folks still get baffled at how absurd some of these manipulations are. Here are a few reasons why.
This post may include affiliate links.
Must Be Her Sister In The Car
A Fairly Popular Local Influencer Recently Made An Appearance On TV. A Lot Of Her Fans Apparently Had Trouble Recognizing Her At First
Yikes. Filler is expensive. Always amazes me how much vain people will pay to turn themselves into literal caricatures of themselves.
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.
A Man, For A Change. Not Sure If Satire Or For Real. Behold, The Wall-Bending Biceps And Butt
Skipped Leg Day, Forever
This Is Funny And All But It’s Getting Out Of Hand
I'm getting the feeling that I'm probably going to make more Slender Man jokes.
Found In The Wild On Instagram
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.
Blended The Fence Into Her Face
Be You!
In Reality, Birds Flap Their Wings When They Fly
Unfortunately Did Not Pass Her Photoshop Class Though
"[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."
This Guy Popped Up In My Feed As A Sponsored Story
Yes, The Giant Feet Syndrome, More And Coomon These Days
We’ve Seen Tiny Heads…now Get Ready For Giant Feet!
Legs For Dayyyyys
"The Model Has Achieved This By Chewing On A Plastic-Looking Contraption"
Photoshopped Herself Into Oblivion, Grandpa Can Stay Lookin Old Af
Organs Are For The Weak!
From Her Profile vs. Tagged
When you photoshoped yourself hard enough to be Kate Siegel. Good job.
Reminder: This Is Not How These Women Look In Real Life
Internal Organs? Never Heard Of Them
Reminds Me Of That Scene In Beetlejuice (Little Head)
What The Model Posted vs. Photographer
She Was On A Popular Reality Show. I'll Never Understand Why They Do This When We've All Seen What They Really Look Like!
One I Found In The Wild
Arms So Big They Warp The Plane Seats?
This Cannot Be Real! Inhumanly Possible To Look Like This
I Was Startled By This While Scrolling
Girl I Go To Uni With Always Edits Her Photos Like This.. The Second Pic Is How She Actually Looks
4 Out Of 5 Dentists Approved
Her Index Finger Seems To Be Melting Down Her Bum
Her Gravitational Pull Is So Strong It Distorts Everything Around Her Waist
this whole page could just have a picture of Thanos after he gets the reality stone with caption now reality can be whatever i want
Two Of Her Fingers Are Thicker Than Her Wrist, Wtf
Repeat Offender. This Girl Has No Shame
Even The Poor Headless Mannequin Can't Live Up To Ig Standards
When The Very Thing You Rely On Betrays You Lol
Copy + Paste Cleavage?
Mine are around my bellybutton ! I bet y’all would say they are photo shopped 😂
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This. I wondered wtf when there was no Adele comment at the top!
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I'm pretty sure she didn't decide on it cause she has no access to her social media accounts so I doubt she had anything to do with the post tbh
This is her photo shoot for Vogue... Vogue ffs! They are the ones that f**ked up, not Adele!
Not to sure about this one. I have slightly under average size breasts but they are very very high. Cleavage line about in line with arm pits. I'm not good looking enough for anyone to ever comment on my boob's, but here seem OK to me.
Mine is the same, that's why I don't really get this post. Ok, maybe after having her child(ren), they might have sagged down a bit. But tbh, they look fine to me.
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"Hello, it's me...... oh, hey, what's up? I mean, besides you being kinda up there lately....." Yeah, what's that about? Scared the belly button is gonna bite ya?
Isn't that Adele or her doppelgänger....she would never do that..but someone needs some human structural lessons.
There are different heights boobs can begin. Some women are low strung. Means: cleavage begins low. Nothing to do with sagging. Adele might be the opposite. If you then use a push up (or tape them up), it’ll look like this.
The most overrated singer in modern music. All of her albums are the same. Blame the guys for your own betrayal and lies. No wonder women have issues with men. Because of music like hers and many others.
I thought we were talking here about photoshop fails... Who cares if she's overrated or not? She's got great voice, she's made it, good for her. The photo looks ridiculous.
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The Face!!! And This Was A Sponsored Post
And The Knees?
And She Would Have Gotten Away With It Too, If It Weren’t For Those Meddling Straps!
Srsly...You don't need to change your body to be truly appealing.
Subtle.... Her Poor Nose
Note: this post originally had 50 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
It's really sad that so many people have body image issues that make them think they have to hide their perfectly normal, healthy bodies to look like action figures or Barbie dolls.
More like Bratz dolls. It's good to see how fake social media is. It's just gotten way out of hand and is so damaging.
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I'm concerned THEY don't remember what humans look like.
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This breaks my heart and reminds me of a stupid thing I did when I was 19. I was always self conscious about my thick thighs and my idiot past self got lost inside her head and decided to starve herself literally. I only drank water for 3 days and didn't eat anything at all. People comment that they do this but they never say anything about feeling sick, "having a black hole" inside or being in pain, I somehow managed to drag myself to the bus station for uni and on the 4th day I ended up passing out half way When I screwed my head back on my shoulders I looked at myself and thought there is nothing wrong with me. I always look back at that moment with a hint of shame... people don't have money to eat and here I was doing this to myself You should love yourself f*$k social media
I did this for years. I ate one thing every 4 days. I would chew food up and spit it out before I could swallow it. It was a mess. Still 10 yrs later I feel guilty when I eat. Therapy helps but it doesn't get rid of that internalized fatphobia completely
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I don't understand why this is a weekly post on Boredpanda. It seems unnecessarily mean-girl ish
And by "mean-girl ish" I mean overly judgemental, and almost vindictive.
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Ya'll act like centuries of sexism and objectification of women in society didn't contribute... Open a history book or open your eyes to the world around you. Yes I know there were a couple men in this collection but let's be real now. SO many people below shaming the people with low self esteem instead of all the layers of issues that caused it. Women are, by and large, still to this day judged for and/or praised by their appearance. The nerve these people have to say that social media is to blame when they have no problem looking at ads with over sexualized tweenagers, or supporting the adult industry, or watching the BS Miss Universe pageants for example. Yes the world is changing but at a snails pace.
I hate it when women flatten their stomachs because they're not supposed to be flat. We have uteruses and therefore an extra organ in our stomachs. They don't flatten because of our organs. If a woman does have a flat stomach she's probably doing something super unhealthy.
As I wrote in a comment above, I am very grateful I didn't grow up in the age of social media -- or I might not have grown up. I really feel for kids today.
I thought I was ugly as a teen, but looking back at photos now, actually I wasn't. And that was when only 1 in 5 of my friends had cameras. Who stands a chance now with phones, filters, etc. At least when I was a pup it was accepted that you were never going to look like Sophia Loren
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I think that's very interesting from a psychological standpoint: These shopped pictures clearly visualize body dysmorphic syndrom - something you usually can't see. These people can never see themselves as normal or beautiful because in their mind this is what they are supposed to look - a look that other people percieve as gortesque.
Good interview on NPR the other day (The Takeaway or On Point, not sure) with some ‘influencers’ who were driven, hard working, and successful entrepreneurs. I still don’t really get it as a choice of career (“You can’t pay the rent with free shoes!”) but it was interesting to hear the stories behind people I usually pass off as just awful.
Some of the ones I follow who seem to be able to make a career out of it usually have side ventures tied to it, working as consultants, authors, crafters, etc. in addition to the money they gain from advertisements and sponsorships. They also focus on a specific theme with their content (such as mental health and sustainability) and work with other people who focus on the same themes.
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See.. I know I’m a fat body pos. Solution: I’m running and lifting as soon as I’m fully healed up from a couple injuries. Don’t edit pictures. Edit yourself through hard work.
I'm 38 and have tried dating sites, I hardly had any response. I asked my male friend to look at my profile and he told me straight... you don't have big lips, crayola eyebrows etc.. basically I'm too bland. Im not looking for sympathy here...im just saying that women like me may end up alone because no one will even give us a 2nd look never mind a first. All because we don't look like the "sexy woman of today" I really feel s**t about myself
35, zero response, but I've always known it was the way I look. Back when I was fat, I held out hope that maybe after I lost weight things would be easier... nope, I'm just ugly 😅
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Okay, it really kind of makes me mad that they used the pics of the random girl from someone’s university. Now everyone she goes to school with will SEE IT and SHAME HER. Seriously, BP?!?! You should be ashamed. She’s not even really contributing to the photoshop problem— she’s not a super famous “influencer” or celebrity who’s knowingly affecting vulnerable young girls’ self esteem. She IS a vulnerable young girl with a poor self esteem. TAKE THE PIC DOWN from the website front page NOW. If this happened to me at college age, I would be DEVASTATED.
@STAFF: Bored Panda staff, please do something about this. You’re CONTRIBUTING to the problem. If they’re normal people and not celebrities, you’re letting them be shamed and perpetuating the issue.
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Isso só prova como é difícil, para algumas pessoas, viver nesse mundo onde, em nome de uma ditadura de um padrão de beleza, leva a se deformar, mesmo que digitalmente. Para buscar meia dúzia de likes .
No. That's the point. These people have dysphoric thinking that distorts the way they see themselves. Ridiculing them is cruelty, pure and simple.
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Funny to see these people thinking they're living at the top, while some of them clearly belong to Jerry Springer nation.
I feel nothing but pity for these poor, insecure fools. They actually think they look good - instead of the fact they look absolutely ridiculous.
There are lots of old email accounts available for sale. People buy old Gmail accounts for many reasons depending on the intention and purpose of use. So, They may have bought the account used or sold it to someone else. It may be trying to recover an old password that they forgot about or even just selling it because they want to get rid of it. Whatever the reason, users can find millions of old Gmail accounts for sale at any time.
Very sad that so many are uncomfortable with their own look that they try to be something else. It's an awful feeling. I was anorexic and nearly died just trying to look this way.
Sad it's all a problem of self-esteem. Loneliness in times of the pandemic has probably helped...
I've seen women doing this on dating apps.... like, you think I can't tell you're fake? I'm not going to swipe right on you, bitch, you're f****d up!!
So people edit photos because they feel they don’t measure up against “beauty standards” so they post a photo in which they feel they look good but then are mocked and laughed at. That’s pretty evil to take someone who has low self appreciation and then knock them down further. Think about it if you feel ugly then try and do something to make yourself feel better then people point and laugh and say now not only are you ugly you look stupid. So so wrong
A few pictures in, I get the feeling I'm looking at badly made CGI screencaps. What the hell is wrong with these people?
I don't understand why people photo shop themselves anyway. They look great just the way they are, and they shouldn't photo shop.
The bottom line s that the media tells you that you must look impossibly attractive, so you doctor your photos. Then other people think your photos are real so they doctor their own photos. Really sad. Nobody wins. Except those who are already happy with how they really look.
It's sad really; how these people are just lying to themselves. I can't imagine how unhappy they must feel inside.
It's just a photo... Maybe they just did it for funsies...? Not everyone who does a shitty photoshop job has some sort of deep rooted self hatred. Just saying.
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I don't get it. They filter themselves to point that they enter the 'Uncanny Valley'. Can't they see that?
If you don't get it then you might want to read up on body dysmorphia disorder and eating disorders.
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If people need someone else to tell them that influencers are fake, they're way behind the curve.
How is it so hard just to be happy with yourself. You are you. Just practise make up, eat healthy and exercise, and you'll feel great.
That is not at all good advice. A lot of these people are probably suffering from extreme body dysmorphic disorder. "Eat healthy and exercise" is like shooting a bb gun at godzilla
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When you think about it this is a disturbing and sick article. Nothing funny about it really. I feel bad for the people who feel like they have to live up to these crazy beauty standards that make them warp their already beautiful body into some "better" caricature of themselves.
over all...the saddest thing is that they all have followers that support and love them...instead of ridiculing them and shaming them...they need to be told that they are Dumbasses....sometimes the sensitive snowflake s need to know the truth, and it will hurt...but suck it up ...get off instagram, tiktok and the rest of the crap and dont support or follow them...then they will hopefully go away
A big booty is nice but if your tall and thin your not gonna have a massive one. You can't change your body, you need to be in proportion.
Load More Replies... It's really sad that so many people have body image issues that make them think they have to hide their perfectly normal, healthy bodies to look like action figures or Barbie dolls.
More like Bratz dolls. It's good to see how fake social media is. It's just gotten way out of hand and is so damaging.
Load More Replies... I'm concerned THEY don't remember what humans look like.
Load More Replies... This breaks my heart and reminds me of a stupid thing I did when I was 19. I was always self conscious about my thick thighs and my idiot past self got lost inside her head and decided to starve herself literally. I only drank water for 3 days and didn't eat anything at all. People comment that they do this but they never say anything about feeling sick, "having a black hole" inside or being in pain, I somehow managed to drag myself to the bus station for uni and on the 4th day I ended up passing out half way When I screwed my head back on my shoulders I looked at myself and thought there is nothing wrong with me. I always look back at that moment with a hint of shame... people don't have money to eat and here I was doing this to myself You should love yourself f*$k social media
I did this for years. I ate one thing every 4 days. I would chew food up and spit it out before I could swallow it. It was a mess. Still 10 yrs later I feel guilty when I eat. Therapy helps but it doesn't get rid of that internalized fatphobia completely
Load More Replies... I don't understand why this is a weekly post on Boredpanda. It seems unnecessarily mean-girl ish
And by "mean-girl ish" I mean overly judgemental, and almost vindictive.
Load More Replies... Ya'll act like centuries of sexism and objectification of women in society didn't contribute... Open a history book or open your eyes to the world around you. Yes I know there were a couple men in this collection but let's be real now. SO many people below shaming the people with low self esteem instead of all the layers of issues that caused it. Women are, by and large, still to this day judged for and/or praised by their appearance. The nerve these people have to say that social media is to blame when they have no problem looking at ads with over sexualized tweenagers, or supporting the adult industry, or watching the BS Miss Universe pageants for example. Yes the world is changing but at a snails pace.
I hate it when women flatten their stomachs because they're not supposed to be flat. We have uteruses and therefore an extra organ in our stomachs. They don't flatten because of our organs. If a woman does have a flat stomach she's probably doing something super unhealthy.
As I wrote in a comment above, I am very grateful I didn't grow up in the age of social media -- or I might not have grown up. I really feel for kids today.
I thought I was ugly as a teen, but looking back at photos now, actually I wasn't. And that was when only 1 in 5 of my friends had cameras. Who stands a chance now with phones, filters, etc. At least when I was a pup it was accepted that you were never going to look like Sophia Loren
Load More Replies... I think that's very interesting from a psychological standpoint: These shopped pictures clearly visualize body dysmorphic syndrom - something you usually can't see. These people can never see themselves as normal or beautiful because in their mind this is what they are supposed to look - a look that other people percieve as gortesque.
Good interview on NPR the other day (The Takeaway or On Point, not sure) with some ‘influencers’ who were driven, hard working, and successful entrepreneurs. I still don’t really get it as a choice of career (“You can’t pay the rent with free shoes!”) but it was interesting to hear the stories behind people I usually pass off as just awful.
Some of the ones I follow who seem to be able to make a career out of it usually have side ventures tied to it, working as consultants, authors, crafters, etc. in addition to the money they gain from advertisements and sponsorships. They also focus on a specific theme with their content (such as mental health and sustainability) and work with other people who focus on the same themes.
Load More Replies... See.. I know I’m a fat body pos. Solution: I’m running and lifting as soon as I’m fully healed up from a couple injuries. Don’t edit pictures. Edit yourself through hard work.
I'm 38 and have tried dating sites, I hardly had any response. I asked my male friend to look at my profile and he told me straight... you don't have big lips, crayola eyebrows etc.. basically I'm too bland. Im not looking for sympathy here...im just saying that women like me may end up alone because no one will even give us a 2nd look never mind a first. All because we don't look like the "sexy woman of today" I really feel s**t about myself
35, zero response, but I've always known it was the way I look. Back when I was fat, I held out hope that maybe after I lost weight things would be easier... nope, I'm just ugly 😅
Load More Replies... Okay, it really kind of makes me mad that they used the pics of the random girl from someone’s university. Now everyone she goes to school with will SEE IT and SHAME HER. Seriously, BP?!?! You should be ashamed. She’s not even really contributing to the photoshop problem— she’s not a super famous “influencer” or celebrity who’s knowingly affecting vulnerable young girls’ self esteem. She IS a vulnerable young girl with a poor self esteem. TAKE THE PIC DOWN from the website front page NOW. If this happened to me at college age, I would be DEVASTATED.
@STAFF: Bored Panda staff, please do something about this. You’re CONTRIBUTING to the problem. If they’re normal people and not celebrities, you’re letting them be shamed and perpetuating the issue.
Load More Replies... Isso só prova como é difícil, para algumas pessoas, viver nesse mundo onde, em nome de uma ditadura de um padrão de beleza, leva a se deformar, mesmo que digitalmente. Para buscar meia dúzia de likes .
No. That's the point. These people have dysphoric thinking that distorts the way they see themselves. Ridiculing them is cruelty, pure and simple.
Load More Replies... Funny to see these people thinking they're living at the top, while some of them clearly belong to Jerry Springer nation.
I feel nothing but pity for these poor, insecure fools. They actually think they look good - instead of the fact they look absolutely ridiculous.
There are lots of old email accounts available for sale. People buy old Gmail accounts for many reasons depending on the intention and purpose of use. So, They may have bought the account used or sold it to someone else. It may be trying to recover an old password that they forgot about or even just selling it because they want to get rid of it. Whatever the reason, users can find millions of old Gmail accounts for sale at any time.
Very sad that so many are uncomfortable with their own look that they try to be something else. It's an awful feeling. I was anorexic and nearly died just trying to look this way.
Sad it's all a problem of self-esteem. Loneliness in times of the pandemic has probably helped...
I've seen women doing this on dating apps.... like, you think I can't tell you're fake? I'm not going to swipe right on you, bitch, you're f****d up!!
So people edit photos because they feel they don’t measure up against “beauty standards” so they post a photo in which they feel they look good but then are mocked and laughed at. That’s pretty evil to take someone who has low self appreciation and then knock them down further. Think about it if you feel ugly then try and do something to make yourself feel better then people point and laugh and say now not only are you ugly you look stupid. So so wrong
A few pictures in, I get the feeling I'm looking at badly made CGI screencaps. What the hell is wrong with these people?
I don't understand why people photo shop themselves anyway. They look great just the way they are, and they shouldn't photo shop.
The bottom line s that the media tells you that you must look impossibly attractive, so you doctor your photos. Then other people think your photos are real so they doctor their own photos. Really sad. Nobody wins. Except those who are already happy with how they really look.
It's sad really; how these people are just lying to themselves. I can't imagine how unhappy they must feel inside.
It's just a photo... Maybe they just did it for funsies...? Not everyone who does a shitty photoshop job has some sort of deep rooted self hatred. Just saying.
Load More Replies... I don't get it. They filter themselves to point that they enter the 'Uncanny Valley'. Can't they see that?
If you don't get it then you might want to read up on body dysmorphia disorder and eating disorders.
Load More Replies... If people need someone else to tell them that influencers are fake, they're way behind the curve.
How is it so hard just to be happy with yourself. You are you. Just practise make up, eat healthy and exercise, and you'll feel great.
That is not at all good advice. A lot of these people are probably suffering from extreme body dysmorphic disorder. "Eat healthy and exercise" is like shooting a bb gun at godzilla
Load More Replies... When you think about it this is a disturbing and sick article. Nothing funny about it really. I feel bad for the people who feel like they have to live up to these crazy beauty standards that make them warp their already beautiful body into some "better" caricature of themselves.
over all...the saddest thing is that they all have followers that support and love them...instead of ridiculing them and shaming them...they need to be told that they are Dumbasses....sometimes the sensitive snowflake s need to know the truth, and it will hurt...but suck it up ...get off instagram, tiktok and the rest of the crap and dont support or follow them...then they will hopefully go away
A big booty is nice but if your tall and thin your not gonna have a massive one. You can't change your body, you need to be in proportion.
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