In a world where popularity has become established through a number, the idea of a happy relationship through a few still photos, and a perfect life hidden behind the lens of a camera, Instagram has given many users an unacceptable platform for self-judgement. At one's disposal, the lives of countless people can be seen by an immeasurable amount of people.

Sadly, many of the ways in which we judge our own lives comes out of the photos and videos of other's lives deemed perfect by society. If I were to open up my Instagram at this very moment, I would see countless photos and videos of what I consider beautiful human beings. There will always be someone prettier, more fit, more artistic, and overall more adventurous than myself. But here's the thing, there are many aspects of Instagram that are not real. There are filters, airbrush apps, and even apps that allow you to become thinner with one tap of your finger. Each of which can create such difference in the appearance of a photo that it becomes an entirely different photo altogether. Needless to say, photos on Instagram have become an unrealistic reality. Celebrities, models, and countless other Insta-famous beings have come to create almost impossible standards of beauty and poise.

I will be the first to admit that I have attempted to utilize these apps more than once and I failed epically. In fact, looking at the end result only made me want to delete the photo and start again. But I deleted the edited photos because I knew I could never get away with it. My teeth were too white, my skin was too tan, and my body was too proportional. These weren't reality. They weren't the real me.

Most recently, many Instagram fitness models and makeup artists have taken to the app in hopes of creating a stronger sense of reality for their audience. They have become aware of the thoughts and ideas of beauty that Instagram has inscribed in today's society and as a result, they have chosen to post things without massive edits. Here's to them, and us, the users that realize that our lives are just as perfectly imperfect without a filter.