One thing that annoys me most about being on Instagram, is seeing models pop up in my explore page. No, it's not because I am jealous of how they look or the luxurious lifestyle that they are constantly posting about. In fact, it is actually the total opposite. Instagram models love to impress their followers with their slim bodies, perfect faces, expensive clothing, and the sites they get to see while they travel the world. I don't follow not even one Instagram model and never plan to, because the act they put on for their followers doesn't impress me.
Instagram models have been exposed many times for drastically photoshopping or face tuning their pictures. Now, understand that I am not hating on anyone who decides to photoshop or face tune their pictures. If doing that makes some feel better about the way they look in their pictures, then they should go right ahead and do it. Although, it's unfortunate that some people feel the need to edit themselves before they post their selfies and allow the world to see them. Anyways, let's get back to talking about the Instagram models!
The fact that almost all Instagram models have been exposed multiple times for photoshopping their pictures wouldn't be such a big deal if they didn't overdo it. They transform themselves into completely different people, which makes them go against the things they preach out to their followers. I'm not saying that all Instagram models preach out self-image/body positive messages to their followers, but a good bit of them do, because they like to put on an act that makes them seem like they are the most positive and loving person ever. Those models aren't fooling me though! They tell their followers to love themselves just the way they are or say everybody is perfect the way they are, yet edit themselves to look completely different from how they look in real life.
These Instagram models put lots of makeup on to hide every blemish that is on their face, which is fine! I know lots of people love to wear makeup, but I am someone who doesn't. The fact that they wear so much makeup, isn't the issue. It's the fact that they edit even more makeup onto their faces, slim their faces out, drag their eyes up to give them a cat eye appearance, and thin the bridge of their noses out while they tell their followers to love themselves and the way they look. Most people who follow Instagram models are teenagers, and by looking up to these very unrealistic looking models, it is putting unrealistic standards into these teenagers heads. Therefore, they try to accomplish these unrealistic beauty standards, which can eventually become dangerous. It can lead to teenagers to become very self-conscious about themselves, cause them to have body dysmorphia, or even develop an eating disorder because they try their hardest to look like these 'perfect' Instagram models.
Instagram models even go as far as editing their arm width, their leg width, their stomach width, their hair, their hips, their chests, and even smooth out their skin so that there is no sign of cellulite. I mean, do you really want to look up to these fake Barbie dolls? The sad part about this is that all these models are probably very insecure when they shouldn't be. They would look much more gorgeous if they would stop editing themselves to acquire unrealistic beauty standards, and just looked natural for once!
There have been times where a follower of an Instagram model bumps into them somewhere, and the follower has a hard time recognizing if it is really them or not because they look so different from their pictures on Instagram in real life. There is no reason anyone should ever be editing themselves to look that much more different from how they naturally look. I could honestly go on and on about why it is bad to look up to Instagram models but I decided to focus mainly on the photoshopping and face tuning problem they all have. I could even go on about how men expect to see women in real life to look like the photoshopped models they see on Instagram.
The last thing I want to say is, be comfortable with who you are and the way you look! You are beautiful the way you are, and there is no need for creating a fake version of yourself. Every flaw you have is what makes you who you are. I'll admit that I'm very short, which is something I hate, but it's what makes me who I am, so I need to learn to love that about myself. I don't have a super flat and tight stomach, I don't have the perfect hips, my eyes don't naturally have the cat eye appearance, my hair doesn't always look perfect, and I do get pimples from time to time like everyone else. I would rather post about the real me on Instagram and any other social media network, rather than go out of my way to create a fake and unrealistic version of myself.
