This Woman's 'Posed V. Unposed' Photos Show How Fake Social Media Pictures Can Really Be, And People Are Here For It
Internet, meet Sara Puhto, a 25-year-old Finnish content creator and body acceptance advocate who has amassed a following of 380,000 by illustrating how fake photos on social media can truly be.
Through her popular Posed v. Unposed photo series, which juxtaposes Sara's natural form and a contorted version, the creator hopes to discourage others from comparing themselves to people online. She uses herself as an example – exposing how she may have previously posed for photos and the reality:
The series idea came to her in 2016, when her Instagram profile was tailored to reflect her fitness journey, and Sara found herself looking at other people's photos for inspiration. "I initially got the idea to post posed vs. not posed photos [when] I was looking at photos of people on Instagram."
"I felt like I was the only one constantly looking at images on Instagram and feeling like I was never good enough, as I was comparing my body to all the 'perfect' pictures," she continued. "But I started realizing I wasn't the only one, and I didn't want others to keep feeling the way I did — being obsessed with this idea of having to look 'Instagram worthy' all the time. So I started posting photos of what the reality is behind my Instagram photos."
Whether it be a side-by-side of her flexed and un-flexed form...
...showing the real shape of hip dips...
...encouraging others to stop sucking in and let their bodies breathe...
...or simply showing the same body in different poses, Sara hopes viewers internalize that "the people in these seemingly 'perfect' photos don’t look like that all the time."
"Your body isn’t a trend," Sara wrote in her Instagram bio. "So don’t treat it like one!"
Though this may seem simply put in hindsight, it took time for the 25-year-old to grow comfortable with her body, and some days are easier than others. "[Sharing these photos] helps me as well, on days where I don’t feel well — either mentally or emotionally — about my body. It helps having a platform to be like, 'Hey, it’s OK to not be OK; we can embrace that as well!'"
"I just want to highlight the importance of the non-linearity of self-acceptance and body acceptance," Sara concluded. "It’s completely normal and human to have 'bad body image' days. We can’t expect to love and be happy with ourselves 24/7; it’s completely human for emotions to change as life goes on. And therefore we shouldn’t be too self-critical or hard on ourselves when these days do come about."
It's a sweet reminder for all those on their own journey to self-love. In Sara's comment section, followers struggling with insecurities share how her posts have impacted them:
They appreciate the gentle reminder that many people struggle with self-image at one point or another, and it can be a day-by-day process:
"Your posts always make me feel a sense of relief and a warm flow of confidence," one user wrote.
