“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 Just One More Filter...
Damn He's Ripped
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
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.
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?
I Think We've All Wondered What She Really Looks Like
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 agree.
It's called body dysmorphia. People who believe that their bodies have terrible flaws and that they are hideous. And I think pictures like these just add to the problem.
when you hate both yourself, and your life..... :(
Social media has enhanced mental health disorders. These people must really hate what they see in the mirror.
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 agree.
It's called body dysmorphia. People who believe that their bodies have terrible flaws and that they are hideous. And I think pictures like these just add to the problem.
when you hate both yourself, and your life..... :(
Social media has enhanced mental health disorders. These people must really hate what they see in the mirror.