Welcome to the world of filters where looks are everything, and everything else is nothing. While there are many exceptions, social media is still notorious for breeding and celebrating vanity, from boosting your ego to making others (and yourself included) feel miserable.
But sometimes it’s too much even for Instagram. You see, some people airbrush and edit their pictures beyond the acceptable norm and the result is, well, reality-bending. The subreddit “Instagram Reality” is calling out those instances by sharing pictures of influencers taking editing a step, or rather a mile, too far.
Below we selected some of the most recent posts from the community, so pull your seat closer. And after you’re done, be sure to check out our previous features on Instagram vs reality here, here and here.
#1 I Love This
#2 Why Would Someone Do This? The Original Is Stunning Already
#3 Not Even Judas Was As Treacherous As That Mirror….
In order to understand social media, and the influencers that go above and beyond to stand out, build their audience and establish their brand, we have to look at the other culture that paved the way to influencers as we know them today. And it’s celebrity culture. Both share the insatiable hunger for an idealized image, but also the need to deliver substance and make it interesting for the viewers.
So We reached out to Claire Sisco King, the Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Vanderbilt University who happily shared some very interesting insights into the over-the-top world of celebrities and influencers.
#4 I Forgot What She Really Looked Like
#5 Found On A Dating App
#6 She’s The Best. These Are All Photos She Posted Herself Either On Her Story Or Ig Feed! She’s Beautiful, Confident And Silly
“Celebrity culture has been a significant part of popular media in the United States since the early 20th century. Its origins can be traced in large part to the Hollywood star system,” King told us. “By the 1920s, film studios had developed a system for crafting star images—from the stars’ names to how they dressed to the types of film roles they played. Studios relied on their own promotional departments as well as fan magazines to create these images and make them familiar to audiences, promoting fan attachment to the stars,” she explained.
#7 Don’t Be Afraid To Age Folks
#8 The Power Of Filters – It Doesn’t Always Have To Be That Noticeable
#9 Flexxing On Some Totally Real Muscles
It turns out that for decades, “most of this publicity remained largely positive because it was heavily controlled by the film studios, offering highly calculated views of celebrities’ personalities and private lives.”
But all changed with the advent of tabloids by the mid-twentieth century, including radio shows and magazines, King said. That’s when the attention to gossip and the more salacious aspects of celebrities’ personal lives increased. “Often this coverage was out of celebrity control; but, at the same time, celebrity has become dependent on the gossip industry because it drives audience interest and fascination,” the professor said.
#10 Another One
#11 Shame On The News Outlet Who Photoshopped The Left Picture
#12 Found This One While Browsing A Dating App
Thanks to reality television and the internet, in the beginning of the early 2000s, expectations about access to celebrities dramatically increased. King explained: “Reality television fostered the idea that anyone could become famous by ‘playing themselves,’ and there was the corollary expectation that celebrities should engage with the genre to give audiences an idea of who they ‘really are.’”
#13 His Jawline Is Definitely 100% Real, No Editing
#14 Imagine Your Surprise When You See Her For The First Time Without All That Makeup, Filters And Editing
#15 She Claims To Not Edit Her Photos
Meanwhile, “the development of digital media and the internet meant that there were endless opportunities for audiences to seek information about celebrities, which meant that media companies also felt obligations to generate more and more content about them.” King argues that the era saw the proliferation of websites and blogs devoted to celebrity fandom and/or gossip.
#16 At First The Terrifying Bird Feet Got Me But The Longer You Stare…the Worse It Gets
#17 Her Poor Friend
#18 How Is This Even Legal?
The development of social media really amplified all of these expectations about access to and intimacy with celebrities. “Platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat give audiences the sense that they can see into celebrities’ private lives and get ‘behind the scenes’ access to them. Even though the glimpses audiences see are highly curated and carefully crafted, they suggest that fans can get an ‘authentic’ idea of who celebrities are,” King explained.
#19 Same Day. Insta vs. Pap Picture
#20 At Least She’s Self Aware…?
#21 When You Have A Friend Who Edits The Whole Group
#22 Is It Just Me Or Does His Head Look Way Too Small?
#23 She Got Called Out For Using Heavy Filters And Her Response Was Interesting
#24 She Adamantly Denies Filtering Her Pics On Every Post
#25 She Uses The Teen Filter So Much, She Has Convinced Herself That She Looks Like This
#26 Found This One! — He Claims To Be 31 Years Old, Flashes Fake Watches And Cars He Doesn’t Own
#27 Posted As Part Of A Massive Clothing Campaign…how Could Such A Big Label Not Have Enough Money For Decent Editing? She Has Slender Man Fingers!
#28 She Is 81 Guys … I Don’t Know What To Say
#29 Found In The Wild – When You Forget To Edit Your Husband
#30 Rip Her Poor Hips..must Have Fallen Off In Her Tagged Photo
#31 I Mean
#32 Instagram vs. Public Video
#33 A Local Club Owner.
#34 Feed vs. Press Photo
#35 Spent Too Much Time On The Faces, Forgot About The Rest
#36 Claims She Doesn’t Want Women To Feel Bad About Their Postpartum Bodies If They Haven’t ‘Bounced Back’ Like Her
#37 Both Are Instagram Posts
#38 A Woman From The Danish Equivalent To Teen Mom, She’s Not A Teen Anymore
#39 She’s Already Petite But They Shrank Her Even More While Forgetting Her Forearms
#40 When You Can’t Control The Photoshop
#41 This Gal Is Acting As If We Don’t Know What She Actually Looks Like
#42 Posts vs. Tagged
#43 Maternity Photoshoot vs. Youtube Video 4 Weeks Later
#44 They’re Not Even Trying To Hide It Anymore. She Blurred Her Unedited Reflection
#45 What She Posts On Ig vs. What The Paparazzi Took
#46 How To Recognize Body Filters In Videos
#47 Completely Unrecognizable!
#48 Her Caption Says: ‘I Actually Don’t Have Foundation On, Only Concealer And Everything Else’ But Am I Wrong If I Only See A Heavily Filtered Pic?
#49 Instagram vs. Tagged Photos
#50 Some Unfiltered/Unedited Photos From The Met Gala Versus Their Ig Equivalents Or Most Recently Posted Photos
#51 Slender Woman, Fooling Her Million+ Followers With These Weird Edits And Extreme Waist Tuning
#52 The Reality Is Already Beautiful So This Heavy Editing Is Not It
#53 This Guy Hit Me Up. The Longer You Look, The More Warps You Find. It’s Like Easter Eggs!
#54 Insta Pic vs. Tagged Insta Pic
#55 This Weight Loss Youtuber…
#56 I Am Inclined To Say Her Face Does Not Look Like This
#57 F**k Noses Am I Right
#58 Not Sure If It’s Photoshop But The Light Is Kinda Bent In The Windows Reflection. Could Be Wrong
#59 What She Posted vs. Natural/From A Video. Shes Gorgeous W/O Editing Imo
#60 Girl…
#61 “He Saw How I Look On Social Media” / “Everybody Tells Me I’m The Same, Or Even Better Irl”
#62 Obviously Heavy Filters In The Second Photo But Yikessss
#63 Instagram vs. Public Video
#64 Group Picture On Someone Else’s Profile vs. Her Picture
#65 I Finally Found One On My Instagram Too
#66 Sure, Jan
#67 Skin Is Too Smooth, Too Matte, Too Lifeless. It’s A Heavy Filter (Screenshots From Video). She Doesn’t Need It
#68 What She Posts On Her Instagram vs. The Actual Pictures
#69 “For Everybody”
#70 With The Met Gala Today, Reminder That Makeup Can Look Very Different In Real Life.
#71 When Only Your Skin Is Perfect
#72 Girl Posts Photo With Filter (Left) And Without (Right) After People Commenting Her Eyes Look Unnatural
#73 I Just Can’t Believe It.
#74 Y’all Better Not Have Any Pores
#75 I Wouldn’t Have Noticed If People Didn’t Point It Out In The Replies
#76 I’m Sorry But What Is This
#77 Yt Video vs. Instagram Post
#78 Found One In The Wild
#79 First One Is The Picture He Posted, Second Was Posted By Her. Look At Differences In Butt And Stomach (Also Girl Behind)
#80 An Actress From My Country Advertising For A Natural Shampoo
#81 Looks Like One Of Those Interior Design Renders
#82 Left Side Is The Picture This Youtuber Used For The Thumbnail, Right Is A Screenshot Of The Actual Video
#83 Instagram vs. Tagged Photos
#84 Tagged vs. Posted
#85 No, This Is What A Heavy Filter Looks Like. Aging Is Natural.
#86 Found On Ed Twitter, All The Comments Are Girls Saying They’ll Skip Dinner To Look Like This…
#87 Ah Yes, A Totally Realistic Waistline
#88 The Interviewer Seems Quite Airbrushed Compared To The Person Being Interviewed
#89 These Hips Lie.
#90 Original Photos vs. What She Posted. Crazy To Actually See The Raw Photos.
#91 Her Caption: “Fresh Face 4 Spring” 🙄
#92 And I’m Supposed To Believe She’s Real?
#93 Still Shots From Her New Movie vs. Her In Real Life. She’s 57
#94 Who Needs A Functioning Jaw And Throat When You Can Have Thick Hair?
#95 Ig vs. Semi-Reality: Nothing Wrong With A Little Under Eye
#96 Highlighted Article On A News Website. Surely The Fact That You “Look This Good” Has Nothing To Do With Filters, Right?
#97 Why Did She Facetune Her Tongue? 😭
