Ever since Instagram has hit our culture, there has been a higher standard of perfection. Not only do our lives need to look neat and polished face to face, but there is an added level of pressure as people Facebook stalk us and look at our Instagram pictures daily. This is why I was floored when I found two women’s fitness Instagram accounts showing what their bodies truly look like without all of the flexing and the perfect angles. (https://www.instagram.com/lilybeaches83/ & https://www.instagram.com/gabbygettinfit/)
Both women hint at the fact that we should not compare ourselves to others. What’s particularly flooring about these two Instagram photos is that they are being raw, real, and honest on social media.
We have seen more body acceptance on the internet over the past year than in previous years. For instance, Aerie's Campaign that shows real women’s bodies that have not been photoshopped, and there was also Alicia Keys’ stand up to makeup featured on Lenny in which she showed up to the MTV VMA’s without any makeup. Let’s not forget the Glamour incident earlier this year in which Amy Schumer was recognized by Glamour for her clothing size rather than her accomplishments and spoke out on social media about it.
It’s inspiring to see not only celebrities and large corporations embracing natural, simple beauty, but also to see it within smaller more personal Instagram accounts. Hopefully, this shift from photoshopping and covering up to honest, simple beauty will begin to shift the way we view beauty as a culture, and raise the standard to one of transparency, respect, and acceptance for all body types.
