“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.
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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
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
She Doesn't Even Look Like The Same Person
The Model Who Denies Any Photoshop And The Case Of The Disappearing Glass Cutout!
Your Story vs. Your Friend's Story
I Have Seen This Girl Here So Many Times And People Alway Wonder What She Looks Like Without The Makeup And Editing. Well, Here It Is
You Can’t Even Tell
Found On Twitter... All The Replies Are Girls Saying They Wish They Looked Like Her
Probably she also wishes to look like that. That's facebook filter, I have it too. Ridiculous.
Instagram vs. Youtube Video
give me an F! "F!" give me an A! "A!" give me a K! "K!" give me an E! "E!" what's that spell?... FAKE!
It’s Like That Episode Of Friends When Ross Wears A Whitening Strip For Too Long Before His Date
It's Only "Makeup"
Gasping For Air
Ol' Peg Leg Just Having A Candid Moment While The Pavement Slips Into An Alternate Reality
The “Reality” Pic’s Shadow Looks Suspicious
Real Life vs. Instagram.. I Appreciate Her Leaving In The Dandruff Though
How She Looks vs. What She Posts...bruh
I Just Can’t Anymore
I wish people who stop writing half sentences like "I Just Can’t Anymore". That means absolutely nothing.
She Uses Stickers To Coverup The Mess Of Her Photoshopping Skills
From A Shop On Instagram. Toe Knuckles Are Apperently Not Ideal
Well, I can sympathise with that!! Stubbed my toe this morning and it's so swollen and shiny that it doesnt have an obvious knuckle either! 🦶😲🦶
A Certain Designer(70) Seem To Really Be Enjoying The Blur Tool!
I’m Pretty Sure Your Mask Isn’t Supposed To Look Like That.
He Claims To Be One Of The Best Jocker Cosplays And He Has More Than 1k Followers On Instagram. The Tattoos... I Can't...
She Even Edits The Waist Of Her Own Mom On Mother's Day
What Are Skin Pores? What Are Armpits?
Remember That Girl A While Ago That Apparently Had A Rib Removed? Turns Out She Uses Filters As Well
Well I Guess Having A Totally Different Person In Your Instagram Account Is Normal Today
this was meant to be for a post about how much instagram filters change your appearance, not idiotic fakery
Why Anyone Would Try To Sell A Product With Pics Like This Is Beyond Me
What She Posted vs. A Video Screenshot
Is It Just Me Or Is The Background Fake?
Some of these pictures look like the result of a severe mental disorder. They need professional help in order to accept what they are.
Some of these pictures look like the result of a severe mental disorder. They need professional help in order to accept what they are.