20 Side-by-Side Photos That Show How Misleading Social Media Can Be

If you scroll through the #SelfLove and #BodyPositivity hashtags on Instagram, you'll see an array of what appear to be transformation photos—side-by-side shots that people use to proudly share their progress in changing their weight, size, or muscle tone. These images are popular within the fitness community, where they serve as inspiration for people looking to change themselves physically or live healthier lives.

But a closer look will reveal something interesting: Many of these side-by-sides aren't traditional transformation photos at all. Instead, they're "5-second transformations" taken by body-positive Instagrammers hoping to show how misleading images on social media can be. Whereas most transformation photos are shot over a period of weeks or months, these 5-second transformation photos are taken mere seconds apart, and they highlight how easy it is to manipulate an image using different poses, lighting, and camera angles.

For example, when Aerie Real model Iskra Lawrence casually sits down, she has visible stomach rolls. But when she arches her back, they magically disappear. When self-love influencer Milly Smith wears high-waisted tights, her stomach looks flat. But when she pulls the waistline to her hips and relaxes her abs muscles, her stomach looks round. And when body-positive blogger Maggie stands straight, you can see her six-pack. But when she bends over, you can see the loose skin from her past pregnancies. These are just a few of the many body-positive women reminding their followers that reality isn't always as it may look on social media.

Here, 20 women challenging the way their followers think about social media through side-by-side photos.

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