Warning: The above image has been photoshopped.
My name is Rosalind Jackson Roe, and spoiler: I alter my Instagram photos. I make the colors a little more saturated, and my skin a little bit clearer. My VSCO filter of choice is C1 and I enjoy the fact that my Instagram feed looks more cohesive because my photos are all edited in exactly the same way. On the more extreme side of my photoshop history, I have removed unsightly holes from walls, moved a puddle from one side of the photo to other to enhance the balance, and even erased an entire person when their sunburnt back detracted from the harmonious look I wanted. And every time I do this, I am happy with the finished product.
It seems as though every week another story is breaking about the celebrity who altered their Instagram photo. First it was Beyoncé with the infamous thigh-gap photo, and slightly after one (or all?) of the Kardashians in various photos showing off their bodies. Each story featured a side-by-side photo comparison followed by the scandalized author giving a gleeful commentary on the depraved morals of the celebrity for presenting such an illusion to the public. The problem is that I can guarantee almost every one of those authors have an Instagram account on which they have altered their photos in some way. Of course, it may not be as extreme as shaving off half of a thigh, but the resulting illusion of heightened perfection remains. And really, what right do we have to judge?
The point of Instagram is not to present an unfiltered version of our lives. As purist as you may be about editing, when posting your photos you choose the best out of those you took. We live in a society where our public image is enhanced by the one we put online. Similar to putting on makeup, editing photos allows us to slightly enhance our natural beauty, experiment, or present a different version of ourselves. I only choose photos that reflect the best aspects of my life, or memories that I want to preserve. Do I want or need to remember the mediocre egg I had for breakfast this morning? No. But the beautiful and delicious parfait I had at a slightly overpriced brunch restaurant? Definitely.
Some danger certainly lies in heavily editing the photos that constantly surround us. But rather than criticizing those who put the photos out into cyberspace, we need to shift our own perspectives. Instead of expecting absolute honesty in the photos of others, we should appreciate them for the beautiful and strangely artistic image that they present and then move on with our lives in the real world. If we happen to get inspired by the rose-gold hair dye someone has just tried or an outfit a fashion maven has thrown together, then fantastic. However we draw our inspiration, it needs to then apply to our real lives. Because taking advantage of the limited time we have here on this planet should always be the most important thing. And, who knows? With this approach, you may even get your best Insta photo yet.
