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Sometimes, it’s easy for us to forget that social media isn’t the same as reality. But it’s incredibly important to remember that what we see on our screens can often be an altered, upgraded, and airbrushed version of what’s really out there. If we realize it’s partly an illusion, we won’t feel so bad when we compare our lives to those of seemingly ‘perfect’ Instagram influencers. However, some people take photo editing several steps too far.

The “Instagram Reality” subreddit is dedicated to showing how heavily some people facetune their pictures before putting them up on social media. Whether it’s inspired by people’s insecurity or narcissism is difficult to tell. But we collected some of the best examples of fake people pics from the subreddit for you to enjoy.

So scroll down, upvote your fave Instagram photos, and leave a comment below to let us know which images you thought were the most shocking, and why you think these people tend to use too much Photoshop. Also, check out Bored Panda’s previous posts about expectations vs. reality right here, here, here, as well as here. Scroll down for our interview with the "Instagram Reality" moderators about their community and about the culture of excessive photoshop, and be sure to visit their subreddit as well.

#2

A Body Builder I Have Since Unfollowed

A Body Builder I Have Since Unfollowed

alejas_tejas Report

Bored Panda talked to the "Instagram Reality" moderators about why some people go overboard with photoshopping their pictures. Here's what they had to say: "Insecurity, envy, money. Take the girl sitting next to you in Statistics who's scrolling through her latest selfie shoot and disappointingly thinks to herself, "[Damn], is that a pimple? I can't let people see that, it's embarrassing." She casually opens up FaceTune, smooths out the pimple, and boom—now there's an image she feels comfortable sharing online. Unbeknownst to her, there's a seed that's been planted in her mind now that it's as easy as using this app to change anything she finds unattractive about herself at any time, then it snowballs; from taking in just a bit of your tummy for a more slender silhouette until eventually she's landed on a waist the size of her neck."

"The light improvements are so gradual over time, she stops noticing that the waist she's creating is 1.) of course, not hers 2.) (as we often see on Instagram Reality), anatomically impossible, and 3.) that she's now set an expectation subconsciously for herself (and outwardly for anyone following her) that she needs to keep up this flawless appearance; which means sticking to the edits she's made for every photo she posts in the future. What she doesn't realize is in this process, she's simultaneously creating and constantly reinforcing her own insecurities."

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#5

When U Ordered It vs. When It Arrived

When U Ordered It vs. When It Arrived

moonkid93 Report

#6

Big Difference Between The Photos Of Her At The Event And The One On Her Instagram...

Big Difference Between The Photos Of Her At The Event And The One On Her Instagram...

Rude-Transition Report

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Monika Soffronow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Plastic fantastic on the left, a gorgeous, real woman with real-life experience on the right.

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We were also interested to know the subreddit mods' opinion about why some people are scared of presenting themselves as they truly are. "Everyone wants to be loved and desired, everyone wants to feel that they belong. The harsh, scary truth of the matter for anyone is that the more you resemble what people around you consider universally attractive, the more likely you are to have access to those things in your life. So, you begin to think, "Well, what do I need to change about myself to fit in? How do I become more attractive?" Based on what magazine covers and many an Instagram Explore page shows you, that image is a tall, long-haired, fair skinned woman with smooth skin, a slim yet hourglass figure—oh, and don't forget, the perfect butt. In comes photo editing apps, offering you the chance to finally be her. Even if it's only online."

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#8

Yeah, No

Yeah, No

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ae_1 avatar
iamkongandsoispon avatar
Rabite
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It just looks like one of those baby filters and putting the picture here makes it look out of context. Don't just go around and collect random funny pics of people and say they are crazy or delusional.

lsoo avatar
ann_m_rosa avatar
Amazon QT
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They probably don’t see that it looks horrible, they think it’s an improvement.

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Monika Soffronow
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is grotesque. Let's hope it is for fun and that no single person alive finds this even remotely attractive in any way.

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aamna_shah avatar
Aamna Shah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe you shouldn't judge people for having stretch marks on their shoulders on anywhere for that matter.

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Claire Armstrong
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What in the actual fck?? She cannot possibly have thought that this looked good! I want to know where the fck these peoples friends and families are when they aren't either stopping them posting these utterly ridiculous pictures, or stopping them even doing it in the first place. If I did this, my man would be the first to say something, then my auntie, and then even my gran would be like "That's horrible" lol

mackrey avatar
BG Rey
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is just sooo sad. Mostly that some probably pretty little girl seems to think that this looks better than her natural face.

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karina andersen
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

really? they really don't know how ridiculous they look on these pages?

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Manda Panda
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Chuck’s got stretch marks on her shoulders but the face of a Bratz doll.....tha f**k???

laurentesta avatar
Laur 24
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

just why does she have to look like a millennial barbie that got plastic surgery done? lmao

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Leola Adcock
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Stretch Marks on her Shoulder, Groucho Marks Eye~Brows & Those Eye~Balls are Unreal !!!

leolaadcock avatar
Leola Adcock
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And Looks like She has a Light~Mustache above those Misinformed~Lips... Poor Disillusioned Barbie~Gal :-(

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danielw
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel bad saying this, but the photshop job makes her look like a Barby doll reject.

zinalu avatar
Debbie Andersson
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How could she look at this and go "Yes, this looks legit and good, like a model".

clanmorello avatar
Lynn Morello
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Take my glasses off, blurr my eyes a little more and it ALMOST looks OK.

auntiedepressant avatar
Auntie Depressant
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

again, you say to yourself, this looks better than the original, Ima gonna post it now.

ariateare avatar
Aria
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like something escaped from Area 51. No need for another raid, boys. The aliens have taken over our social media!

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Pandana
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! OML. I legit laughed so hard.

krzysztofmazurkiewicz avatar
Shull GaRett
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If this one was "corrected"... im really afraid to know how the original looked...

geminikat58 avatar
Kat Khatib
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What was the "look" that she was goin' for?? Miss Cotton Candy??

aneewon avatar
Aneese
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is that a 5 o'clock shadow above his/her lips? And stretch marks on the shoulder? Just odd. This is scarier than whatever the reality might be!

fox90069 avatar
Kevin Fox
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like she would open her mouth to a double set of teeth and rip your throat out.

marlenericker avatar
Marlene Ricker
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like she transplanted a doll's head onto her body. OMG it's horrible!

tammyralph2 avatar
Tammy Ralph
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't think that head belongs on that body, and she looks like she's been out in the rain and all her make up has ran and has left her with a moustache thingy.

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C.S.
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

it's like someone photoshopped a bad tattoo onto a real person.

robbinsjl308 avatar
Jro308
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is what it looks like when you take the face tune too far!

supergreen6 avatar
Siv Øiesvold
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why would you use so much time to blend and blend the face and not do anything about the actual sleeve cutting off blood supply to the arm..?

davidljones47 avatar
David Jones
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Must of met the witch doctor at the end of Beetlejuice...

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estimaate
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It looks like she has one of those really creepy snapchat filters on :P

christysmith_1 avatar
Christy Smith
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Jesus, why would she think that she looks good like that? She looks r******d.

booksfeedthemind avatar
Donna Leske
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Was she attacked by a bobcat? Sad to laugh at her scars people. The eyes however are fair game.

dragontattoo_1 avatar
Tom Allen
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Seriously should be a warning, just scrolling down and damn scared now

leolaadcock avatar
Leola Adcock
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Stretch Marks on Her Shoulders ?? And Groucho Marks Eye~Brows !! And Nobody's Eye~Balls are that Large... Poor Misdirected Gal :-(

aamna_shah avatar
Aamna Shah
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What's wrong with having stretch marks on shoulders? How are you not a judgemental and petty gal for criticizing a young girl for having stretch marks on her shoulders? I wish you also looked at your own mindset before expecting this girl to direct her life.

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Shania Brown
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

ewwwww got dang she ugly look like francinstine did something to her

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#9

When One Right Hand Isn’t Enough...

When One Right Hand Isn’t Enough...

lisaloveslashes Report

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Antonia
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

it's not the 2 right hands, that shock me... it's the friggin face 😬

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"Instagram Reality" moderators told us that the community greatly supports inclusivity: "The Instagram Reality team is a huge supporter of inclusivity. All races, body types and genders need to be fairly represented in the media. Sanity Sunday was created as a day for our subscribers to share an ad (or influencer) they've seen which support that idea as well. In the long run, the only way to reduce our obsession with self-image is to normalize those we see in the media; not just celebrating how they look, but who they are as a person."

The "Instagram Reality" subreddit was created just under two years ago. "u/Zaza9000 began to notice IG models who looked insanely different in real life. She wanted to create a platform that exposed the fakeness to people who were being fooled."

#12

He Colored His Eyes Over His Glasses Frames

He Colored His Eyes Over His Glasses Frames

ooqpoo Report

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It’s very easy to feel insecure in the information age. Every day, we’re bombarded by images of beautiful, successful, healthy, wealthy individuals. While this inspires some of us to aim for greatness, others can feel insecure because they realize the huge gap between their dream lives, and where they currently are.

Melody Lyons explains that having grown up in the United States, she was raised to be dissatisfied with the way she looked, which meant she felt ashamed of herself. However, she still advocates not using photo-editing apps or keeping the editing to a minimum: say, for removing a big red spot that would simply ruin the pic.

But according to her, if you start radically changing who you are in photos, you start believing that there’s something wrong with you. And that just increases any feelings of insecurity you already had. In other words—the less photoshopping you do, the more comfortable you feel being yourself. After all, nobody is perfect and never will be. Even models think they eyelashes/jawline/pinkies could look better.

#14

Shes Not Fooling Anyone With That Steering Wheel

Shes Not Fooling Anyone With That Steering Wheel

MIKE-WAZOWSKIS-COCK Report

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Also, the more people there are out there who photoshop their pictures, the stronger the culture of ‘perfect’ Instagram pics. This means that there are even more individuals who feel insecure because they have to compare themselves to endless masses of photo-edited pictures.

Meanwhile, Michelle Linker told The Guardian that the pressures of social media are very real. “People are publicizing usually something really cool or fun that they’re doing, or at least they make it appear that way. I absolutely feel insecure.”

She continued: “I do feel a pressure to look particularly good. I would never post a photo that wasn’t flattering of me. I feel anxiety over how many likes I get after I post a picture. If I get two likes, I feel like, what’s wrong with me? Some people judge Instagram by deleting photos that don’t get enough likes. I wouldn’t do that, but I would definitely second-guess my intentions with posting them.”

#16

... She Very Obviously Was Not In This Photo Before She Photoshopped Herself In

... She Very Obviously Was Not In This Photo Before She Photoshopped Herself In

Bittysweens Report

#17

Most Severe Case I’ve Ever Seen Tbh

Most Severe Case I’ve Ever Seen Tbh

offitat Report

#18

Whats The Point Of Photoshopping A Starbucks Logo On Your Cup..? Had A Good Laugh Bc Of It

Whats The Point Of Photoshopping A Starbucks Logo On Your Cup..? Had A Good Laugh Bc Of It

joanoa Report

Do you photoshop your pictures, dear readers? Have you ever been in a situation where you post a photo and constantly check to see how many likes it got? Share your experience with everyone in the comments.

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#20

I Love Playing “Find The Distorted Background” Game With Everything She Posts

I Love Playing “Find The Distorted Background” Game With Everything She Posts

meowmix265 Report

#21

Mua Posts Christmas Inspired Look, Flat Out Denies It's Photoshopped In The Comments

Mua Posts Christmas Inspired Look, Flat Out Denies It's Photoshopped In The Comments

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blakkursverrir avatar
Blakkur Sverrir
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Its not photoshop if you print it out. Put makeup on the photo and than take a picture of it

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#22

No Way Her Waist Is Real, That Shadow Has A Different Angle

No Way Her Waist Is Real, That Shadow Has A Different Angle

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tehbonz avatar
B
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've never understood why people do this. Why would you want a huge backside or a face that looks like a duck? Just so unattractive.

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#23

Forgot To Edit The Mirror

Forgot To Edit The Mirror

SpecialRegular Report

#24

Jesus Christ, She Even Smoothed Over Her Tongue

Jesus Christ, She Even Smoothed Over Her Tongue

wombatcheeses Report

#25

“Ugly Sweater Dinner Date! ” Dear God... I Didn’t Need To Sleep Tonight Anyway

“Ugly Sweater Dinner Date! ” Dear God... I Didn’t Need To Sleep Tonight Anyway

DeusUrsus Report

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Femur!
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, this "muricans" LOL I'm ugly and I have no problem with that, none of my pics have filters. Only when the filter is funny, only that.

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See Also on Bored Panda
#26

Mom Take Me Home I’m Scared

Mom Take Me Home I’m Scared

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Hocus Pocus
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think this might be apart of one of those trends where you make it look like that on purpose? Like, I've seen 'eye tutorials' on youtube where people purposely try to make their eyes look like that. Sorry if I'm wrong.

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#27

Same Girl I Posted Before, She’s Actually Nearly At 2 Million Followers And Will Block Anyone Who Claims Photoshop

Same Girl I Posted Before, She’s Actually Nearly At 2 Million Followers And Will Block Anyone Who Claims Photoshop

ElitaWins Report

#28

Am I Insane Or Did He Photoshop The Exact Same Face Onto Two Different Photos

Am I Insane Or Did He Photoshop The Exact Same Face Onto Two Different Photos

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Gemma Lees
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought that Photoshop was supposed to make you look good, not scary af.

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#29

I'm Speechless

I'm Speechless

ashehole64 Report

Note: this post originally had 95 images. It’s been shortened to the top 29 images based on user votes.