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 models. However, some people take photo-editing several steps too far.
The “Instagram Reality” subreddit is dedicated to showing how heavily some people photoshop 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 over-shopped pics from the subreddit for you to enjoy.
So scroll down, upvote your fave pics, 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 Instagram vs. Reality right here, here, here, as well as here.
#1 Big Difference Between The Photos Of Her At The Event And The One On Her Instagram…
Image credits: Rude-Transition
#2 Whats The Point Of Photoshopping A Starbucks Logo On Your Cup..? Had A Good Laugh Bc Of It
Image credits: joanoa
#3 Shes Not Fooling Anyone With That Steering Wheel
Image credits: MIKE-WAZOWSKIS-COCK
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.
#4 When The Lighting Hits You Just Right In A Family Photo
Image credits: em_abdo
#5 A Body Builder I Have Since Unfollowed
Image credits: alejas_tejas
#6 When One Right Hand Isn’t Enough…
Image credits: lisaloveslashes
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.
#7 Reflections Dont Lie
Image credits: shitpost90000
#8 Most Severe Case I’ve Ever Seen Tbh
Image credits: offitat
#9 What The Hell
Image credits: hrafi1
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.
#10 Forgot To Edit The Mirror
Image credits: SpecialRegular
#11 … She Very Obviously Was Not In This Photo Before She Photoshopped Herself In
Image credits: Bittysweens
#12 Yeah, No
Image credits: lrdkira
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.”
#13 Happy Holidays!
Image credits: aya5810
#14 I’m Speechless
Image credits: ashehole64
#15 Am I Insane Or Did He Photoshop The Exact Same Face Onto Two Different Photos
Image credits: lasagnaestranja
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.
#16 I Love Playing “Find The Distorted Background” Game With Everything She Posts
Image credits: meowmix265
#17 Edited vs. Unedited
Image credits: probglum
#18 I Don’t Know Where To Start …
Image credits: al958
#19 I Thought Her Photo Was Ironic
Image credits: Bex-T-Rexx
#20 No Way Her Waist Is Real, That Shadow Has A Different Angle
Image credits: diveonfire
#21 Mua Posts Christmas Inspired Look, Flat Out Denies It’s Photoshopped In The Comments
Image credits: epaj
#22 When You Forget To Colour Saturate Your Reflection
Image credits: xobabe
#23 Instagram Post vs. Youtube Video
Image credits: prettybutlame
#24 Legend
Image credits: iamalol9701
#25 Makeup Artist’s Instagram Pic Compared With The Original. Subtle But Powerful Fakery
Image credits: CICOffee
#26 I’m Speechless
Image credits: colderin69
#27 The Difference Is Day And Night, Literally
Image credits: atbzrrr
#28 *gasp*
Image credits: princessofawfulcourt
#29 Jesus Christ, She Even Smoothed Over Her Tongue
Image credits: wombatcheeses
#30 This One Is Really Interesting To Me, Why Would You Edit Away The Line That Separates Your Lips?
Image credits: villethepineapple
#31 O No Hunny, Wat Is U Doin
Image credits: calibabyy
#32 Those Abs Were Made In Ms Paint
Image credits: Merwebo2Veces
#33 He Colored His Eyes Over His Glasses Frames
Image credits: ooqpoo
#34 “Ugly Sweater Dinner Date! ” Dear God… I Didn’t Need To Sleep Tonight Anyway
Image credits: DeusUrsus
#35 Weird European Door.
Image credits: Atlas_0221
#36 “Unedited”
Image credits: BatmanRocks
#37 Very Interesting Proportions
Image credits: naturae_biologia
#38 When U Ordered It vs. When It Arrived
Image credits: moonkid93
#39 Honestly, Who Does She Think She’s Fooling
Image credits: DougJudy038
#40 I Think She Still Looks Perfectly Fine On The Right But I Didn’t Expect Her Waist To Be Normal Sized Because You Only Get To See Altered Pictures Or Pictures Of Her In Corsets
Image credits: gegenangriff
#41 This Stuff Makes Me Sad On So Many Levels
Image credits: havanablues
#42 Most Of These Celeb Makeup Only Look Good With Editing
Image credits: ticklemylingling
#43 This Is A Hundred Percent Presented As Reality. Her Legs Are Broken In Six Places And Her Butt Is Sixteen Miles Wide And Long. And She Helped Out Her Friend Too
Image credits: buttsmcgillicutty
#44 Fillers Don’t Always Photograph Well!
Image credits: ALittleGoat
#45 When You Visit Greece & Suddenly Become Black (Girl Is On The Right In The First Photo)
Image credits: pm-me-bakedgoods
#46 Oops, Someone Forgot Insta Stories Share The Filter Name
Image credits: alex_addictions_mua
#47 Mom Take Me Home I’m Scared
Image credits: olruun
#48 UK Apprentice Candidates. Left His Insta. Right Hers
Image credits: OgMo39
#49 Imagine Being A Celebrity With 55m Followers And Expecting No One To Notice The Curtain Curving
Image credits: doubleZs
#50 Same Girl I Posted Before, She’s Actually Nearly At 2 Million Followers And Will Block Anyone Who Claims Photoshop
Image credits: ElitaWins
#51 I Can’t Point Out A Single Feature That Looks The Same
Image credits: mariahcareystan
#52 Now We Have 3 Of Them
Image credits: newusernamegenerator
#53 The Dog’s Legs
Image credits: ashehole64
#54 Who You Trynna Fool
Image credits: atbzrrr
Source: boredpanda.com