Apparently there are a lot of ways to make your butt look bigger on Instagram

Sia Alexia Cooper, aka blogger Diary of a Fit Mommy, wants her fans to know that social media appearances are often deceiving.

In side-by-side photos shared on Instagram, Cooper defines the difference between a “real bοoty” and an “Instagram bοoty.” The “real” photo shows off cellulite, and the lumps and bumps of normal life. In the “Instagram” photo, Cooper hiked up her underwear and leaned forward, creating the illusion of a flawless behind and a tiny waist.

Photo: Instagram
Photo: Instagram

“It’s amazing what a little bending forward, hiking up your underwear, arching your back, and sticking your bοoty out can do.. even whilst sitting down. Check out that waist, even!” Cooper writes. She explains how the photo is completely altered by the way she’s sitting and holding her posture.

“[Butts] flatten out and your cellulite tends to show because the skin is being pressed upon. However you see these chicks in bikinis who are sitting and it’s like magic or sorcery that their butts don’t flatten!” she writes. But as Cooper points out, both of these photos are of the same body.

Cooper decided to share her side-by-side photos to expose the truth of the “perfect” photos we see on social media. “Perfect pictures plastered on Instagram 24/7 can do so much damage to a woman’s self esteem,” Cooper tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “But little does the regular gal know that so much goes into these ‘perfect’ images such as posing, lighting, editing, and more. People actually believe that these woman look the way they do on their feeds all the time and the truth is far from that.”

Fans wrote in to thank Cooper for using her platform to celebrate authenticity and difference. “Sometimes I, like so many other women, get so busy comparing myself to those girls, I forget to appreciate the progress I’ve made so far. Thanks for keeping it real,” wrote one fan. “They motivate me by showing the real stuff that i see everyday in the mirror,” another said of Cooper.

Anna Victoria, another fitness blogger, also recently explained the role that angles play in the “perfect” photos so many post to Instagram.

‍♀️ Those angles, I tell ya… The one thing I was most insecure about growing up was my booty. I’ve always been smaller on bottom and I would try to wear long shirts to cover it. One thing I’ve loved about fitness is the ability to sculpt your body in various ways BUT there’s only so much muscle you can build on your butt AND you need to flex it to really show it off . A lot of the booty pics you see on Instagram are flexed, pushed out, back arched so much it actually hurts…plus high waisted pants that accentuate a small waist and lift the booty too…there are so many ways to make it look 10x bigger on insta than in real life, and I do it too!! I love posing and admiring the “Instagram booty” but that’s not my real booty. And I’m okay with that. . Over time, I’ve gotten several comments about my lack of a butt, even recently when I actually am so proud of my hard work. It may not look like what someone else would consider an ideal booty, but it’s mine!! Not theirs. And I’ve had to work hard to love it and to shape it and to love it no matter the shape or size. People are always going to have opinions on your body. Do they hurt sometimes? Yes. But a wise woman once said, “You could be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world and there will still be someone who hates peaches”. And in this case, I LITERALLY mean peaches #bodylove #realstagram #angles (pants are Lorna Jane! :)) . Try @bodyloveapp FREE for 7-days! www.annavictoria.com/bodyloveapp

A post shared by Anna Victoria (@annavictoria) on Mar 20, 2018 at 6:25pm PDT

“A lot of the bοoty pics you see on Instagram are flexed, pushed out, back arched so much it actually hurts…plus high waisted pants that accentuate a small waist and lift the bοoty too,” Victoria writes. In her side-by-side photo, she shows off the difference a few angle tweaks can make to her own behind. Her “Instagram” bοoty is round whereas her “real life” bοoty is flat. The photos may look completely different, but all she did was shift her body. In response, over a thousand commenters have written in thanking her for keeping it real.

As Victoria tells Yahoo Lifestyle, her goal is for fans to understand that life (and bodies) aren’t as perfect as they appear on social media. “Whether it’s photos of someone’s body, or the status of someone’s seemingly perfect relationship, everyone has struggles and ups and downs, even if it doesn’t seem like it by the looks of their Instagram account,” she says.

Next time you’re working to snap the perfect selfie, keep Cooper’s motto in mind: “We are all equally worthy in all our photos.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

The best photos from March for Our Lives around the world
Ashley Graham shuts down ‘real woman’ responses to her latest swimsuit shoot
This teen’s sharing a prom dress with a girl in need sparked a movement

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