Instagrammers reveal the difference between a posed body and a relaxed one

I stumbled across this great Hello Giggles post highlighting a trend in which body-positive Instagrammers reveal just how different their bodies look in posed vs. relaxed photos taken moments apart. The side-by-side photos serve as an important reminder of just how manufactured our culture's idea of "perfection" is. As Bodyposipanda puts it, "We sure as hell don't need to compare ourselves to anybody's highlight reel, after all, the model in the magazine doesn't even look like the model in the magazine most of the time." Some of my favorite photos are below and you can see the rest on Hello Giggles.

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Same girl, same day, same time. 💛 Not a before and after. Not a weight loss transformation. Not a diet company promotion. 💛 I am comfortable with my body in both. Neither is more or less worthy. Neither makes me more or less of a human being. Neither invites degrading comments and neither invites sleezy words. 💛 We are so blinded to what a real unposed body looks like and blinded to what beauty is that people would find me less attractive within a 5 second pose switch! How insanely ridiculous is that!? 💛 I love taking these, it helps my mind so much with body dysmorphia and helps me rationalise my negative thoughts. 💛 Don't compare, just live for you. There is no one on this planet who's like you and that's pretty damn amazing don't ya think. The world doesn't need another copy, it needs you. 💛 We are worthy, valid and powerful beyond measure 💙🌟 (If you don't pull your tights up as high as possible are you really human?)

A post shared by Milly Bhaskara 🌻 (she/her) (@millykeepsgoing) on

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Posed vs relaxed 💙 THIS IS NOT A BEFORE AND AFTER 💙 This is me simply showing that the bodies you see in the media are not representative of ALL women of that size. 💙 Growing up I thought I was defective. I thought I was the only thin body that had rolls, bumpy legs, stretch marks and cellulite. Because the images I saw of girls my size where all perfectly smooth. Not a blemish to be found. 💙 I nearly killed myself trying to get that body. To be what I thought beautiful was. Until I started to ask the question "why do I think any of this is a bad thing?!" 💙 I found people who wanted to know the same thing… "why are ANY of these things bad? Why do we need to change? Why aren't we beautiful now?!" So I started body positivity for me. 💙 I started because I wanted know the answers to why I had hated myself. I started because I wanted there to be something out there to show people that it's ok to be thin and bumpy. I started because I started to realise I wasn't defective. And I never wanted anyone to ever feel the way I did. I started because I wanted to help. 💙 Posed vs relaxed pictures help me to do that. They help me to see that it's ok to wear tight leggings and it's ok to let what you've got hang out! It's all ok! And no matter what size you are, all bodies are different! #positivebeatsperfect

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BRjESbuBmRI/

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Me 1% of the time vs. 99% of the time. And I love both photos equally. Good or bad angles don't change your worth ❤️ I recently came across an article talking about how one woman stated she refuses to accept her flaws, because she doesn't see them as flaws at all. I LOVED that because it sends such a powerful message that our belly rolls, cellulite, stretch marks are nothing to apologize for, to be ashamed of, or to be obsessed with getting rid of! As I'm getting older, I have cellulite and stretch marks that aren't going away, and I welcome them. They represent a life fully lived (for 28 years so far :)) and a healthy life and body at that. How can I be mad at my body for perfectly normal "flaws"? This body is strong, can run miles, can lift and squat and push and pull weight around, and it's happy not just because of how it looks, but because of how it feels. So when you approach your journey, I want you to remember these things: I will not punish my body I will fuel it I will challenge it AND I will love it 💗💗💗 If you're following my page, you're a part of helping me spread this message and creating this movement – thank you. #fbggirls #realstagram www.annavictoria.com/guides

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REAL TALK: the photo on the left is staged as hell. I was told where to put my legs, how to angle my arm, which way to tilt my hips and even how to hold my fingers. My eyes were watering from the false lashes and my hair will probably never look like that again. THESE ARE THE TYPE OF IMAGES WE COMPARE OURSELVES TO EVERYDAY! A posed, polished, perfectly lit snapshot of the highlight reel. Except this photoshoot was different, because after all the typically 'flattering' lingerie posing, @curvykate asked me to go home and recreate the pictures make-up free, hair undone and relaxed. Because behind-the-scenes deserves to be celebrated too! Our bodies are glorious from every angle. Posed or unposed. Polished or not. And we sure as hell don't need to compare ourselves to anybody's highlight reel, after all, the model in the magazine doesn't even look like the model in the magazine most of the time. 💜💙💚🌈🌞 You can see more about this photoshoot on @curvykate's blog, the link is in my bio! ✨ Left photo by @alisonvwebster with make-up by @sharlottejacks 💫

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