For years, social media streams have been jam-packed with pictures of the "perfect" woman. Her thighs didn't touch, she never broke out, and her boobs were large and in charge.
But now, interspersed between all of those enviable photos that make "real ladies" feel crappy about their own looks, are perfect women showing that they aren't so perfect. Or rather, that they're perfect as is. No blemish touchups. No fancy lighting. No skinny-arm poses.
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Model Chrissy Teigen recently posted a picture of her true-to-life thighs on Instagram. They're covered in bruises from bumping kitchen drawers. (We've all been there.) And guess what? They also have stretch marks! "Stretchies say hi!" she writes. Bravo.
Women all over are sharing their photos with the hashtags #LoveYourLines and #TakeBackPostpartum. Likewise, a vacation selfie of blogger Rachel Hollis went viral last month when she posted it with a body-embracing caption:
I have stretch marks and I wear a bikini. I have a belly that's permanently flabby from carrying three giant babies and...
Posted by The Chic Site on Saturday, March 21, 2015
"These trends are great," says behavioral psychologist Ivanka Prichard, Ph.D., an Australian researcher who is currently studying how fitspiration images may actually discourage women from exercising by inviting unrealistic comparisons and ideals. "These trends in body honesty display the body in a natural way and highlight how functional the body can be. The female body is amazing and should be valued for so much more than just its appearance. Aiming to promote positive body image through these trends could help women around the world appreciate their bodies more. Being able to value, respect, love, and accept your body is linked to greater confidence, happiness, and participation in health behaviors."
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Meanwhile, just this week, fitness expert and social media star Cassey Ho posted a humbling video on YouTube encouraging women to start respecting and appreciating other women's bodies as they truly are. In the video, titled "The 'Perfect' Body," Cassey reads mean social media comments about her appearance: "her body is so pudgy. try doing some crunches," "you should suck it in more," "no offense but you have no butt." These are real comments that people have shared on social media about her! Then she live-Photoshops her body based on those critiques. At the end of the video, even with her "perfect" body, Cassey still doesn't appear happy. The moral: Achieving a certain body "ideal" isn't going to ever make you truly content. In less than a week, the video has already received more than 2.6 million views and 80,000 likes.
"Social media has an amazing potential to spread positive and beneficial messages," says Emma Halliwell, a doctor of philosophy and body-image researcher with the Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England. But here's the thing: It's up to us to decide if we'll use it for good or evil.
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Retweeting and sharing posts that promote realistic, healthy body images are great, but it's not enough. We all need to start posting more photos of ourselves showing how we really look, says Prichard. She makes a great point—a simultaneously inspiring and terrifying point for many women.
What would happen if we all showed ourselves online as the strong, beautiful women we really are? It's a scary but amazing prospect—and these brave social-media mavens are leading the way.
