“All that is gold does not glitter,”—J.R.R.Tolkien wrote in The Lord of the Rings. The opposite is also true: not everything that shines is gold. And it’s something that we should keep in mind in our modern world which is dominated by the internet and social media.
We’re constantly bombarded by seemingly ‘perfect’ photos of people on Instagram but a lot of the images are heavily photoshopped. The Instagram Reality subreddit is dedicated to collecting the most retouched IG photos and we’ve collected some of the freshest examples of what not to do to your pics. Scroll down, upvote your faves, and read on for our earlier in-depth interviews with the subreddit’s moderators.
When you’re done looking through this list and if you want to see more examples of mindblowing Instagram photoshops, check out Bored Panda's previous articles about the Instagram Reality subreddit right here, here, and here.
This post may include affiliate links.
I'm So Glad This Greek TV Host Has Her Own Personal Cloud That Follows Her Everywhere She Goes
Maybe the cloud is the actual star, and the fact that the girls all look similar is a coincidence? IDK don't watch Greek tv.
Maybe Just One More Filter...
Damn He's Ripped
Ripped all right. Ripped his arm straight out of a magazine page.
The Instagram Reality moderators previously told Bored Panda that the coronavirus quarantine had slightly increased the subreddit’s membership but the amount of edited and photoshopped photos that people upload hasn’t decreased much during the pandemic.
The mods told Bored Panda that what people want to see are natural photos of influencers and celebrities, not done up and “edited to hell” images. “The influencer is going to realize that, I’m sure," the mods said about how they expected popular IG users to react to being stuck at home during the lockdowns which are now being eased or ended all over the world.
I Don't Even Know
Her stomach's actually...concave. She should probably get that looked at...
Yeah if she didn't Photoshop this that's not healthy that's dangerous
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Now I'm picturing barbequed barbies melting. Thanks😀
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This is so sad. She seems really young. Already so, so unhappy in her own real body
That is not what any human being is supposed to look like.
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That's because it is. It's a frame captured from a game console. The comments are hilarious because all these people think it's a real person. Goes to show how good the quality of computer generated images is these days. The dog, the tile work and the pool should have all been clues
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Disturbed. Wouldn't it feel better to have attention based off of natural qualities? I don't f**k with social media other than this site but I feel sad for those who are so desperate for attention they f**k their photos up just to get attention of some kind -.-...
SEEMS THAT A GLASS OF WINE IS A MUST NOW. IN MOVIES AND SERIES. BRAVO
NEVER FORGET THE GLASS OF WINE THAT WE SEE IN ALL SERIES NOW. OR FILMS.
Get this girl some food! Why would you want to look like a withered hull?
you got some sorta eating disorder? only live of the wine in you left hand? also your teath are glowing, ya might wanna get that checked out.
Eat girl!!!! You look like you're fading away!!! And we won't even talk about that fake smile slapped on your face!!!!
Hon...there’s a demon manifesting outside by the pool again.
As an old costumer friend of mine used to say, she needs a 'cake a day diet'!
Soooooooooooooo bad. I mean that's awful not to mention creepy as flip
like you just know there's a filter but it also kinda looks relistic.
She looks like the last photo Alexander Supertramp took before he died of starvation.
SING IT: Blinded by the teeth, Revved up by misuse; another 'grammer for tha streets....
The longer i look, the more uncomfortable i feel... Like, letting your fantasy run when walking trough a forrest in the middle of a clouded night.
No. If it is real, she should not "have a big mac". Super skinny people are ridiculed constantly, being told to eat. Some people have extremely high metabolisms. It isn't a choice. But this is obviously edited - from the long neck, tiny head, huge shoes, lack of pores, and yes, concave stomach.
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Half Person Half Cartoon?!
Found One In The Wild. I Bet She’s Never Late With Those Legs
According to the Instagram Reality team, “insecurity, envy, and money” are the forces driving some people to photoshop their pictures so heavily before uploading them on social media. That and wanting to avoid embarrassment because of real or imagined imperfections.
What can start out as a few simple edits or adding some minor filters can eventually lead to major photoshopping. And that creates a huge difference between how the person looks in real life and how they present themselves online.
To be fair, most of us try to show the best sides of ourselves to people. But there’s a rather obvious line between that and turning yourself into a completely different individual online.
The Baddest Indeed
Such A Pretty Sunset :)
This Is... A Lot To Take In
I Have No Idea What This Is...
Where's The Nose?
Well That's Something New
I used to admire this lifestyle. Beauty gurus in their big mansions, youtubers turned millionaires, "influencers" with their pretty hair and make-up always on point. And then I realized how tiresome their lives were. All the fakeness of it. I don't want to live a life where it takes me 20mn to post a photo so people I don't know and I don't care about click a button that magically makes me "worthy". The lack of self-esteem, the level of body dismorphia they suffer, the sadness they must feel every morning looking in the mirror and failing to see the true beauty in themselves. I'll pass, thanks. I left this world of consumerism and found myself a new dream: owning a piece of land to grow my own vegetable garden. It was truly a breath of fresh air.
She Looks Better Without It Though....
The Face Of A Ps3 Character
The Queen Of Makeup
Turns Out Those Organs Did Exist After All
Something Out Of An Indie Horror Game
She Could've Just Said The Truth..
Post vs. Profile Picture.
She looks so much better in reality. Do some people go for the extra large, square forehead look?
Linkedin Now Too
This Fake Influencer Likes To Pretend She’s Rich, Constantly Posting Pictures Like That With Captions Like „short Trip To Clear My Mind“.
This Girl Has A Disney-Themed Account, For Her ‘Travels’... Most Of The Pics Are Like This
A$$ So Phat Even The Car Had To Make Space
Why Do Women Want To Look Like This??
Who Needs Organs Anyway?
Why do people do this? Do they think anyone finds a 12-inch waist attractive?
I Think We've All Wondered What She Really Looks Like
I have always wondered (I saw this person on another panda thread) she actually has really nice real life proportions it must be so hard for people with body dysmorphia and or low self esteem (I mean my self esteem isn't great as I'm a heavily scarred from various surgeries etc and im not exactly fit, but i can own it)
Profile Pic On Twitter vs. Still From Interview
This "Makeup Artist" Advertising Her Work...
Such A Beautiful Home
This Can't Be Just "Angles"
Literally A Different Person Every Single Photo
Armpit? I Don’t Know Her
I’m Sorry But His Edited Nose On The Left Literally Looks Like It’s Going To Collapse
I Posted The Left One Yesterday And People Were Not Believing That The Hair Don’t Belongs To Her
Note: this post originally had 61 images. It’s been shortened to the top 34 images based on user votes.
Some of these pictures look like the result of a severe mental disorder. They need professional help in order to accept what they are.
I would love to learn "The miraculous art of bending time, reality and space".... these ladies use.
I just want to say people are judging these post quite harshly but not taking the time to use empathy for what these people are going through. Society has made everyone believe they must be perfect and this is why people edit there photos its not that hard to have empathy or to understand these people and there choices
Most of these persons must be really very, very sick. I find this pretty sad.
If a person has to change themselves this much on social media, they need to talk to a therapist because they have some form of body dysmorphia. If they don't have body dysmorphia, they are just desperate for followers.
If more people would post what they actually look like, normal would be the new normal. We set such unrealistic expectations.
I agree. There is something severely wrong with the people who trawl the internet for pictures like that to "expose" the original posters too.
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I think some of these are just people trying to joke around. But the one's that aren't a joke are sad.
They are a kind of visual proof aind indication of body dysmorphia though, that the person can't see how weird and distorted they look in these pictures and that nobody else is going to be fooled by them. They think they look fine, perfect in fact.
Set up an emergency fund to teach these guys some basic Photoshop skills!! Pronto!
That's modern life now, fake, fake and yes, FAKE! Why can't people be honest instead of showing us their fantasy?
I think a lot of these people just have terrible eye sight. They literally have blurry vision and have no idea how f*****g stupid their posts look to everyone else.
Please, editors, if you're going to quote, give the appropriate attribution. Shakespeare, who preceded Tolkien, wrote what you finally got to: All that glitters is not gold.
I wish someone could explain to me what this whole fake image/fake life is about. Like, why do people do it and why do other people follow it and aspire to it, especially knowing that it's pretty much all fake? It all seems so utterly pointless. I don't get it.
I don't understand it either. Why do they post themselves looking like that? What do they hope to gain from it? I could understand someone changing a photo for private use, a person could imagine they look that way, if that is their idea of beauty. But they can't be hoping to find a real lover or real friends this way. And the photo of the young couple - did one or both of them get involved with the photoshopping? Don't they really are each other and how they really look? Perhaps they think other people see the photos and think that the poster is rich and beautiful? But I still don't see how someone finds any satisfaction doing this.
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Everyone is pretty. No matter what, everyone is pretty. Maybe you have a big nose that you don't like? Well that kid in your science class loves big noses, and they think you're beautiful. Have you ever seen someone and thought how good they look, how nice their accessories are, or how cool their hair was? How often have you mentioned it to them? For most people, they don't mention it to the person often. Someone may have seen you and thought about how handsome you are, but never told you. You're your own kind of wonderful.
It's so sad to see this among of people with severe trust issues. If they feel this need to edit as much, they should feel really bad about themselves. What will they do when they will grow old?Kill themselves? They really need help, posting pics like that should be forbidden, to avoid contagiosity.
They want to look good to the people but they lose the reality sense😅
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The altered outside photos are bad enough. What I totally cannot understand is the EXTREMELY photoshopped pics of people's bodies.
For all of these I was just thinking of that interview when Katy Perry said “when they ask you how you are and you have to say you’re fine but you’re not really fine” i dont know why
So many Catfishes in the world now like that's the bare minimum up there☹️
Or you could just stop paying attention to complete and utter fools.
Remember all this S**T when looking at anything shared by the media!!!
I don't even care about these people, but the spelling, punctuation, and grammar makes me so frustrated I could scream.
When you have feelings that you are a s**t person and worth nothing, just come back and look at these pictures. It will put things into perspective. xx
nothing boomers love more than making fun of young people on the internet <3
The future looks evil. I'd advocate for some thorough prenatal screening.
I dont understand the need to call people out for faking pictures of being somewhere they dream of being I mean it really doesn't hurt anyone and it seems calling out people in nasty ways that obviously just have an intense desire for the means to go places seems kind of cruel
Because it absolutely does cause harm. Young impressionable people look at these (or the better done versions of these) and think 'I'm not good enough'. They'll do dangerous things to try and end up looking 'better' and if they don't end up physically ill they'll probably end up mentally ill. It's very f*****g harmful and anyone doing it should be called out on their nonsense.
Load More Replies... So much righteous hate and grandstandery here :( How about live and let live?
Live and let live implies letting people be for who they really are. That is not what any of these people are about.
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Okay, as a Jew I find that comment very offensive.
Load More Replies... Some of these pictures look like the result of a severe mental disorder. They need professional help in order to accept what they are.
I would love to learn "The miraculous art of bending time, reality and space".... these ladies use.
I just want to say people are judging these post quite harshly but not taking the time to use empathy for what these people are going through. Society has made everyone believe they must be perfect and this is why people edit there photos its not that hard to have empathy or to understand these people and there choices
Most of these persons must be really very, very sick. I find this pretty sad.
If a person has to change themselves this much on social media, they need to talk to a therapist because they have some form of body dysmorphia. If they don't have body dysmorphia, they are just desperate for followers.
If more people would post what they actually look like, normal would be the new normal. We set such unrealistic expectations.
I agree. There is something severely wrong with the people who trawl the internet for pictures like that to "expose" the original posters too.
Load More Replies... I think some of these are just people trying to joke around. But the one's that aren't a joke are sad.
They are a kind of visual proof aind indication of body dysmorphia though, that the person can't see how weird and distorted they look in these pictures and that nobody else is going to be fooled by them. They think they look fine, perfect in fact.
Set up an emergency fund to teach these guys some basic Photoshop skills!! Pronto!
That's modern life now, fake, fake and yes, FAKE! Why can't people be honest instead of showing us their fantasy?
I think a lot of these people just have terrible eye sight. They literally have blurry vision and have no idea how f*****g stupid their posts look to everyone else.
Please, editors, if you're going to quote, give the appropriate attribution. Shakespeare, who preceded Tolkien, wrote what you finally got to: All that glitters is not gold.
I wish someone could explain to me what this whole fake image/fake life is about. Like, why do people do it and why do other people follow it and aspire to it, especially knowing that it's pretty much all fake? It all seems so utterly pointless. I don't get it.
I don't understand it either. Why do they post themselves looking like that? What do they hope to gain from it? I could understand someone changing a photo for private use, a person could imagine they look that way, if that is their idea of beauty. But they can't be hoping to find a real lover or real friends this way. And the photo of the young couple - did one or both of them get involved with the photoshopping? Don't they really are each other and how they really look? Perhaps they think other people see the photos and think that the poster is rich and beautiful? But I still don't see how someone finds any satisfaction doing this.
Load More Replies... Everyone is pretty. No matter what, everyone is pretty. Maybe you have a big nose that you don't like? Well that kid in your science class loves big noses, and they think you're beautiful. Have you ever seen someone and thought how good they look, how nice their accessories are, or how cool their hair was? How often have you mentioned it to them? For most people, they don't mention it to the person often. Someone may have seen you and thought about how handsome you are, but never told you. You're your own kind of wonderful.
It's so sad to see this among of people with severe trust issues. If they feel this need to edit as much, they should feel really bad about themselves. What will they do when they will grow old?Kill themselves? They really need help, posting pics like that should be forbidden, to avoid contagiosity.
They want to look good to the people but they lose the reality sense😅
satta king online result platy and earn money... https://www.sattakingonlineresult.in/
The altered outside photos are bad enough. What I totally cannot understand is the EXTREMELY photoshopped pics of people's bodies.
For all of these I was just thinking of that interview when Katy Perry said “when they ask you how you are and you have to say you’re fine but you’re not really fine” i dont know why
So many Catfishes in the world now like that's the bare minimum up there☹️
Or you could just stop paying attention to complete and utter fools.
Remember all this S**T when looking at anything shared by the media!!!
I don't even care about these people, but the spelling, punctuation, and grammar makes me so frustrated I could scream.
When you have feelings that you are a s**t person and worth nothing, just come back and look at these pictures. It will put things into perspective. xx
nothing boomers love more than making fun of young people on the internet <3
The future looks evil. I'd advocate for some thorough prenatal screening.
I dont understand the need to call people out for faking pictures of being somewhere they dream of being I mean it really doesn't hurt anyone and it seems calling out people in nasty ways that obviously just have an intense desire for the means to go places seems kind of cruel
Because it absolutely does cause harm. Young impressionable people look at these (or the better done versions of these) and think 'I'm not good enough'. They'll do dangerous things to try and end up looking 'better' and if they don't end up physically ill they'll probably end up mentally ill. It's very f*****g harmful and anyone doing it should be called out on their nonsense.
Load More Replies... So much righteous hate and grandstandery here :( How about live and let live?
Live and let live implies letting people be for who they really are. That is not what any of these people are about.
Load More Replies... Okay, as a Jew I find that comment very offensive.
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