Parenting

Woman's Side-By-Side Photos Prove Instagram 'Perfection' Is A Myth

by Valerie Williams
Image via Instagram

“Nobody’s booty looks round from all angles”

Instagram can be a minefield when it comes to feeling good about yourself. Between all the fitness hashtags and shots of bootylicious models, it’s easy for women to get down on themselves. That’s why one body-positive Instagram user is doing all she can to dispel the idea that everything on social media is as it seems.

Twenty-year-old Sara Puhto is the creative force behind the Instagram account Saggy Sara. The Finnish body positivity advocate shares gorgeous photos of the mouth-watering vegan dishes she makes, but the real draw is her side-by-side body comparisons that prove photos aren’t always telling the whole truth.

Puhto’s shared a number of photos where she poses casually on one side, making no effort to look picture-perfect, and “Instagram-style” on the other, demonstrating how easily crafty angles, tummy-sucking, and a pop of the booty can make the images look polar opposite.

She writes, “Instagram isn’t reality, it’s a snap of a second into someone’s life. It’s just one photo, please don’t let that ruin your confidence cause you are absolutely remarkable and there’s no point in wanting to be or look like someone else.”

Preach.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWSPmwBlTmk/?taken-by=saggysara

Puhto writes, “If I saw the photo on the left a year ago I would’ve instantly thought so negatively about my body, that all my hard work from working out was non existent, that if someone looked at me they would’ve never thought I’ve been working out for 2 years and think I wasn’t trying hard enough.”

But her journey has proven otherwise. “Nobody’s booty looks round and peachy from all angles. Nobody’s body looks the same from all angles.”

Although she’s only 20, Puhto has serious wisdom that women twice her age need to hear. “Don’t eat less or miss out on your favorite meals/drinks or over exercise to “look good for a holiday” or to “look good in bikini photos” because there will always be angles that are “unflattering” that might make you feel bad when you see them,” she writes.

“Instead workout and eat healthy because it makes you feel good, not as a punishment.”

“Nobody has abs or a flat tummy 24/7 when they sit down. Don’t let this idea ruin your time because it’s completely normal,” she writes. This is a great reminder during beach vacation season where someone might grab a candid photo that makes us cringe when we’re tagged on Facebook. It’s normal to have fat. It’s normal to have rolls.

She even points out how a simple case of period bloat can distort what we see in the mirror.

Her message might seem obvious, but judging by the number of women we see online (and in life) comparing themselves to impossibly perfect images, it’s one we all need to hear.

“Don’t hate yourself just because of bad photos, they do not define you as a person. You look the best when you’re living life to the fullest and happiest.”

Damn right.

H/T: Bored Panda