Influencer praised for candidly showing just how different body can look in matter of seconds
It really shows just how far removed from reality Instagram photos can be
It's no secret that the beauty standards commonly shown on social media aren't exactly realistic.
Whether it's TikTok's 'bold glamour' filter creating a distorted image of our faces or picture-perfect bodies of Instagram influencers, social media isn't a healthy place to get ideas about body image.
One influencer has showcased just how easy it is to manipulate the perception of your body.
Advert
This is without any fancy photo manipulation or filters. Instead, it's just the tried and tested technique of sucking your tummy in.
And frankly, it's crazy how different even this can make someone look. That said, in reality you wouldn't be able to sustain it for any length of time.
In a caption for one of the images, she said: "As humans, our bodies move & change. We’ll look different from time-to-time, photo-to-photo, angle-to-angle & pose-to-pose. AND, your body & appearance isn’t always as you perceive it either.
"That’s exactly why you can’t give your appearance so much power over your happiness, because it’s forever changing."
Each of the photos shows a more conventional Instagram-style image. It usually has her showing off a flat tummy wearing tight-fitting gym clothes or a summer dress.
This comes alongside a second image where Bree lets her tummy relax and hang out over her leggings, showing off cellulite and stretch marks.
If nothing else it shows off how ridiculously curated and pruned our image of an ideal body is.
Other diptychs take a different approach. Instead of addressing physical body image, they look at mannerisms and how people are encouraged to present themselves, vs the goofy or mundane reality.
Posing for a mirror selfie at a fancy resort is a great deal more glamorous than just brushing your teeth.
There's also the showcasing of some of the more difficult times in juxtaposition to images which exude happiness and prosperity.
It's not just the yearning after the 'perfect' body.
The images we see online are a carefully-presented image of how someone wishes their life to be witnessed by others. It's like a digital projection of our own self-image, except we have a far greater degree of control over this version of ourselves than the IRL version.
Beauty standards have long been highly subjective and change alarmingly fast. Someone who is conventionally attractive in one time and place might not be somewhere else.
It's a good way to use the platform to show just how changeable and malleable our bodies are. Placing standards of perfection on them is ludicrous.
Kit Roberts