It only takes a quick scroll through Instagram to see bodies so unrealistic-looking and without a trace of cellulite or rolls that they almost look like mannequins. Are they even human beings? It's easy to feel bad about ourselves when we can't measure up to these bods. Ironically, on Instagram, curvy model Iskra Lawrence reminded us that these photos are basically just illusions, thanks to Photoshop, filters, and very specific, unnatural posing.
Lawrence debunked several Instagram poses, illustrating how "posing dramatically changes how we look," according to her caption.
With 14 years of modeling under her belt, Lawrence knows a thing or two about posing. "I just want to show you the real stuff and show you how that really does affect how you look in photos, so you can understand when you're looking at a photo that's not necessarily real," she said in the YouTube video that accompanied her Instagram.
To make her butt look bigger, she pops her hip and then twists so her butt is brought to the front.
Lifting and extending her torso also eliminates back rolls.
Sounds comfortable.
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To get a thigh gap, she just tilts her pelvis back and stands on her tippy-toes.
Popping her hips also accentuates her curves.
Arms in the foreground will look bigger because that's just how the foreground works.
To make it appear smaller, she brings it to the back and bends it at the elbow.
Now, on to belly rolls, which naturally happen when people sit down and bend their body in half.
To get rid of these and give the illusion of a flat stomach, Lawrence lifts up off the chair (so basically, not even sitting down anymore) and lifts up her chest.
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To hide a double chin, Lawrence holds her tongue to the top of her mouth.
Or she says that people will hold the camera from above and angle it downwards — you know, a natural view of your face.
Even though Lawrence sometimes still poses to feel powerful, she wants everyone to be aware of how unreal images on social media are.
"Because life's not perfect, social media lives aren't perfect and neither are us or our bodies," she wrote in the caption. "And that's exactly how it's meant to be! Because we are all imperfectly perfect and 100 percent unique."
That's worth remembering.
