We all have that one friend or know that one girl who edits her pictures so obviously that stalking her on Instagram has almost become a hobby because it is so entertaining. As you scroll through her pictures and see how her blurred, smoothed out skin looks like a watercolor painting, you’re in awe at how obviously edited it is and how in the world she thought no one would notice. 

Well here’s a news flash for all of you Photoshop queens: Girls always know when something is edited. Always.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m guilty of cranking up the brightness or making a picture black and white so that I don’t look so pale next to my tan friends. I even whiten my teeth every now and then. But there is a difference between minor editing to enhance photo quality to make yourself feel better before posting a picture for all 700 followers to see and using apps to make it look like you’re the star of Extreme Makeover: Clown Edition. 

What I’m trying to say is that I don’t think women should over-edit their pictures to the point of looking nothing like how they actually look in person.

Perfect 365.

Let me tell you a story about this app. One of my sisters downloaded it on her phone and took a picture of her boyfriend. This picture of her boyfriend, just an average guy, then became a guy with purple eye shadow, mascara, lipstick, long red hair and bright pink blush, which definitely complimented his full beard and goatee.

To see how she edited that photo with, quite literally, a few touches of a button completely, blew my mind. It doesn’t help that the app is completely free. If a grown man can turn into a woman more beautiful than Tyra, then maybe that should tell you something. 

It just breaks my heart seeing some of the prettiest girls I know feel the need to alter their faces in such an extreme way. However, if you’re like me and need something that can help enhance the lighting or quality of the picture, then I suggest switching over to something like Whitagram or Afterlight.

Slimming Down.

I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve seen a picture with walls that curve sideways or square carpets that are now suddenly circle carpets because a girl has taken in her waist line and brought the background in with it. Here at WSU, or any college for that matter, it’s hard to compete with the size zeroes you see on campus or out at the frats. We as women are constantly comparing ourselves to other women without even realizing we’re doing it. The competition is stiff for all us single ladies out here, but by taking in your waist so that the walls curve inward or slimming down your face so that you look like the alien Emoji, does not define self-confidence. 

This is actually my biggest pet peeve because what these women don’t realize is that the people seeing these photos are your friends, your classmates, your sisters. We are people who see you on a daily basis and we know you don’t look like that in person. Accepting who you are and how look will make you a more confident person overall, and who doesn’t love a strong independent woman who don’t need no man?

Facebook and Instagram Likes.

Every time we post a picture on social media, we make sure to do it at an optimal viewing time so more people will like it. We often turn to the person next to us and say, “Hey go like my pic” immediately after posting it. Don’t deny it, we’re all guilty.

It takes a special kind of girl to be able to obtain over 200 likes on an Instagram picture, although it’s usually because they have a ridiculous amount of followers that exceeds everyone else’s amount by like 300. 

But no matter how cute the picture is, if you don’t get a lot of likes on it, it breaks your heart a little. I’m here to tell you that the amount of likes you get on a picture does not define how beautiful you are or how great the picture is. You could get half the likes you normally do, but if you think you look da** good then that’s all that matters, right? 

The amount of likes you get on a picture should not determine your worth, beauty, or self-confidence and shouldn’t change the way you think of yourself. Remember that. <3

So whether it’s teeth whitening, lighting changing, smoothed out skin or even distorted objects in the background from trying to slim the booty, girls can always tell when pictures are edited. We probably won’t say anything just because no picture with 50+ likes is ever worth taking down, but we can definitely tell how long you spent trying to edit it and exactly what body parts were edited. 

So a message to all of you ladies with 7 photo editing apps on your phone who think you’re being sly: try to tone it down and make it less obvious. You should be proud of who you are! 

An even better piece of advice is that, if there are features about yourself that you are so insecure about that you feel the need to Photoshop them gone, then clearly a change needs to happen. Find the things about yourself that you love and enhance those features. Trust me, posting a dramatically edited picture that looks nothing like you and getting 100 likes is not as rewarding as posting a natural picture and getting 50. Love yourself, love your booty, and love the fact that Crest whitening toothpaste exists because trust me, that stuff works wonders!