Plus-size bloggers share how deceiving extreme editing can be with insane photos

Callie Thorpe and Diana Sirokai are two plus-size influencers who both have big followings on social media, where they often preach body positivity. In one of their most recent posts, they did so in a pretty unconventional way.

Both of the women took to their Instagrams to post a slideshow of two photos, where the first illustrated a completely edited version of their bodies. The point, Thorpe tells Yahoo Lifestyle, wasn’t to make a statement about size but to simply point out how deceivingly real edited media can be.

“We have become so used to seeing perfectly airbrushed and altered images in our media that they become part of the norm, and people don’t even notice they are edited anymore,” Thorpe says. “Some of our own commenters even mentioned the fact that they didn’t notice it was edited and thought it was real.”

“Swipe for reality,” both of the posts read, leading audiences to the unedited version of the photo, in which the women are their happiest selves — something their followers specifically notice.

“The resounding comment above all was that people noticed our smiles,” Thorpe points out, which could in part be a result of their amazing photographer, Karizza. The New York-based photographer, who has worked with Sirokai on a number of occasions, credits the beauty of her photography subjects to their self confidence.

In another shot she posted of Sirokai, the photographer draws a strong connection between the confidence of a woman and the attractive sparkle in her eye. And for Sirokai and Thorpe both, it’s evident that the unedited version of themselves is what brings that beautiful confidence to life.

“There is nothing wrong with reality, and all women no matter what their size have cellulite and stretch marks, it’s part of life and we shouldn’t be ashamed of it,” Thorpe concludes. “Photoshop exists, and in the industry we work in it will be used, but I guess it’s just challenging people to become more aware of the fact that the reality behind this is beautiful and wonderful and, above all, normal.”

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• ‘There’s so much more to me than just my weight’: Why ‘Real Women Have Curves’ hits home 15 years later

• These twins are so identical people think they are Photoshopped

• Wilhelmina modeling agency is on the lookout for its next star: A plus-size man

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