It makes me concerned to see all these women/girls chasing after “the perfect Instagram body”
Spoiler Alert: It isn't real.
Photo by: Victoria Janashvili
**Also just a very loud disclaimer, none of this is said to shame anybody. Side by sides are used to show the difference between what we see vs what you would see if you saw these people walking down the street.
Real womens bodies have room for our wombs, and stretchmarks, and cellulite, and we are STILL beautiful.
It is just a reminder that the things that you are comparing yourself to aren’t even real.
Celebface
Plastic surgery of course reigns today, but mainly photo editing and even trickier video editing has given the illusion that women have the "perfect figure". So what is the ideal today?
Well, I think Tina Fey said it best:
“Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits.”
And yes there are some people that naturally are shaped like an extreme curvy hourglass with a tiny waist- but it’s very... very rare.
Most of the time you’re either lean ALL OVER or curvy ALL OVER.
The Kardashians are a perfect example of what people consider the perfect body these days.
Kim Kardashian
Meanwhile they’ve ALL had countless surgeries probably in the MILLIONS accumulatively, and blatantly edit their waists even smaller STILL for social media.
Even going so far as to go on a rampage trying to get an unedited photo removed from the internet.
The crazy part is- her body looked fine in the unedited photo!!!
And that just goes to show even they feel the pressure, that they themselves created, and the fear of not looking "perfect".
Like if they can't even feel secure with their millions, and best plastic surgeons, and trainers- how is there hope for the rest of us??
If you know me- I don't care what people do to themselves- and as a photographer I'm not anti-photoshop or even anti- plastic surgery tweaks. I just think things have maybe gotten a little out of hand...
To each their own, the thing is- I don’t believe it is our own anymore…
Little tweaks here and there have been replaced with major tweaks EVERYWHERE. So much that we don't look like ourselves anymore. And that's... well sad.
We’re conditioned to believe the “ideal body shape” is how we should look. Problem is- it’s not possible to have waists as small as our heads, our organs are in there.
And as women we carry wombs.
People are literally killing themselves trying to achieve this warped standard of perfection and it's really frustrating to watch.
Also- in case you haven't read up on your history as a female the "ideal" body shape changes about every 10-30 years… It's an ever changing trend.
Let’s go through and explore this pattern:
1910- The Gibson Girl
Camille Clifford
A showstopping feminine body style- based on an hourglass figure. Fashion piece to not be without? A super waist-cinching corset.
Now I hear what you may be saying- hey sounds like today. But no.
This body style was an illusion, a fashion statement. Easily achieved by tightlaced boned-corsets. The emphasis of the cinched waist increased the S curve of the body.
I personally love the look of a corset. As most of you know I own multiple, and have been working on an experiment of wearing one mostly every day for 6 months. (Stay tuned)
Moonfire Photo
It does change the way you feel, and the way you look. But it’s not killing yourself or putting your life in danger to achieve some unattainable perfection.
And tho there was some stiffness and feminist issues here too- this look was not about the perfect pretty girl- Barbie type body.
Linda M. Scott writes in Fresh Lipstick: Redressing Fashion and Feminism,
“The Gibson Girl was not dainty… she was dark, regal in bearing, [and] quite tall.”
She was known as the new woman – she worked independently from men, and was usually politically active, seeking the women’s vote.
1920s: The Flapper
Basically the anti-Gibson Girl. Women of the 20s ideal was a straight as a stick. They mostly wore very short hair, and almost looked androgynous. The emphasis was more about the flash of an ankle- boobs, waists, and butts weren't emphasized at all.
The flapper era for women was all about freedom, freedom to move, freedom to dance, freedom to not feel stuffy. I feel like this was a very feminist forward era.
Bellatory
And this time curves were out, and straight stick thin vibes were in. Shorter hemlines and fun garmets gave this era their sexiness, but they didn't rely on the "womanly curve".
1930- Luck be a Lady
After the stock market crashes the freeness of the 20s gives way to a more conservative look.
Hemlines got longer, and the waist cinched back in. (Not as extreme this time- more of a soft womanly curve.)
I always thought this look was so chic. A little housewify for my taste maybe, but very chic.
Lauren Bacall
The ideal body idols were those of Lauren Bacall, Katherine Hepburn, and Jean Harlow. I feel like womens bodies were pretty normal here. Not too curvy or too thin. Butt and boob sizes were very normal during this era.
I feel like women in the 30s were just more focused on looking put together, than body ideals.
1940- Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter
When World War II came about women had to fill most of the positions that men normally would- due to the men being at war. This lead to the strong body being the ideal.
The ideal female body type was someone stronger, able to handle everything, a powerful woman that was more squared and boxy. Bullet bras were in, so there was a curve coming on for sure. Boobs were emphasized but the body shape over all was boxy.
Life Magazine
Even tho classic beauty was idolized like Veronica Lake, the focus was not on glamour- more about functionality. Even weight lifting for women became very popular during this time- due to strength being the goal.
1950- The Bombshell
1950s went back to the Hourglass.. but voluptuous this time. The perfect body type was the rounder and fuller the better. The womanly curve was celebrated during this time.
No cinched in waist required. Women like Marilyn Monroe were idolized during this time- and women were scared of, get this- being too thin!!
They actually sold weight gaining supplements galore during this era . Can you imagine??
There was a fairly large ideal scope in this phase- from very curvy hourglass with small waists, to curvy all over with only soft angles-
Bettie Page
The only thing you did not want to be was skinny. Playboy started here as well. Big curves reigned supreme, with idols like Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, and Bettie Page- but women weren't worried about a little extra weight around the stomach.
1960s-1970s The Twig and the Disco-queen
Twiggy
OK here we go back all the way the other direction.
Curves are completely out. And the ideal body shape is stick thin, and we mean literally.
With idols like Twiggy coming on the scene- the look was straight bodied, androgynous, and fresh faced. Kind of like a repeat huh? From Gibson girl to Flapper.
The ideal body shape did not change that much from 1960s through the 1970s.
Shapes became a little bit more feminine due to the disco craze and bellbottoms, but overall the ideal body shape was still very slim.
Body ideals were that of Donna Summer, Farrah Fawcett, and Cher.
Boobs and butts didn't matter much at all- as long as you had a flat stomach!
1980s- The Supermodel
Naomi Campbell
Super tall, glamazon, and in shape rule the runway in the 1980s.
The supermodel is born in fashion and women like Linda Evangelista, Elle McPherson, Cindy Crawford, and Naomi Campbell are the it girls.
Cindy Crawford
I feel like this was a good time for women, because sex appeal was in, but not at the expense of our health. Fitness was very popular at this time, and everyone wanted to be in shape.
Elle Mcpherson
If you look at the women from these days, they were very beautiful and feminine, but also strong and powerful.
Boob jobs did become a huge thing in the 80s, so I'd say emphasis was on boobs and fitness.
But the thing about it is that all of their body parts looks like they went together. Noone looked like a picasso.
1990s- Heroin Chic
Kate Moss
The 90s I think is the total opposite extreme of today’s mass body dysmorphia.
Kate moss with her super skinny ads (which I'm sorry, but a part of me still loves), and all of the socialites just getting thinner and thinner with every paparazzi image- curves were completely out.
Paris Hilton
Boobs and butts were not important at all- and honestly if you were following these diets you didn't have enough fat to even have boobs and butt.
Coming from someone that grew up young in this era- I have mixed feelings about this time.
Everyone knows that I absolutely love the 90s. Grunge fashion was in, and big baggy clothes ruled over tight formfitting options. My body obviously fits in with this era, because I am naturally an ectomorph.
But growing up with this type of "skinny pressure" did leave it's marks- and I think everyone that did still fights some body dysmorphia today.
I do think especially towards the end of this era, things like eating or disorders were rampant and it reminds me of the way that women are forcing their bodies to be in a shape that their bodies weren’t naturally meant to be in today (just the complete opposite side of it)
Funny how back then everyone was so worried about their butt looking big- and now everyone is worried about their butt looking too small.
Like a complete pendulum swing just a mere 20-25 years later. But that seems to be the pattern right?
2000s-2010s: The fitter the better
Gisele Bundchen
In the early 2020s we still had some "scary skinny" socialites; but Gisele Bundchen is credited with ending the heroin chic era. Kind of going back to the 80s style, but even probably more fit and tan.
Victoria’s Secret fashion show rules supreme during this time as the ideal body shape, and yes Victoria's Secret is loaded with landmines too- But you guys look at this:
Gisele is a SUPERMODEL- and is known for having one of the fittest bodies in history. But her waist is STILL not as small as the beauty standards today... like that's insane.
Later in the 2000's was heading even more towards bootylicious goals with idols like jlo and Beyonce being the ideal.
I don’t mind this era at all, I definitely think J Lo is body goals even now in her 50s.
But this was a perfect example of sexy fit bodies being in, booties being in, but not so big that they look completely out of place.
And again, waists weren't expected to be the size of our necks.
ie: Beyonce and Jlo have banging bodies- but have normal size waists.
Now (2021)- I can’t even.
If you do not think the ideal body shape today is absolutely extreme you really should talk to a therapist. I mean... NOONE can keep up with this.
The idea that women are expected to basically look like Jessica Rabbit to be what’s “body goals” is just…. woww.
Like she's a cartoon guys.... and honestly I don't even think her butt was up to today's standards!!
Out of all of the misogynistic eras I feel like we have come to a peak.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love women with curves. But I also love women that are naturally athletic body types, or very lean body types. We ALL should be celebrated.
You know what's beautiful?
This:
Powerful image by Briana Gardener
And what about out mental health? Why we feel the need to make ourselves into cookie cutter influencer dolls...
I wish this message was louder than the pressure: We do not have to fit in to the perfect ideal of the “Instagram body” standards to be beautiful.
I am SO glad I am not a teen girl growing up during this time of social media. I mean, we had pressure growing up but not like this...
Teen girls today are wondering why their bodies do not look like these women on Instagram… they do not understand that these women don’t even look like that themselves!!
*And if they do they have had massive plastic surgery work to get there. (and that STILL isn't enough! They photoshop too!)
Celebface
The truth is- Teen girls are stastistically more depressed than EVER before, and suicide rates for teen girls have more than doubled since 2007, way more than teen boys.
And get this.. These rates of depression started to increase just as smartphones gained popularity...
Gen Z was the first generation to spend their entire adolescence with smart phones.
As if girls didn't have enough pressure through the decades... now it's constantly at the tip of their fingertips.
Again I will stress- I am not against plastic surgery. I DO however think plastic surgery decisions are made quite impulsively these days due to the intense pressure that women feel- and I think it is something to give a lot of thought to before hand of WHY you feel the need to.
And I think photo editing needs to calm down a bit. Like I said I GET IT- I'm a photographer and model too. But for fucks sake.
I am NOT against retouching. But I think we need to be more mindful of how much and the transparency behind it.
The veil of perfectionism needs to be let down a little and we all can do our part- We after all, are all human and not actually Barbie dolls.
And having this mindset can be empowering, and brave, and inspiring- and make a big impact in a good way for teen girls out there.
Georgie Clark using her platform to
shine a light on IG vs Real Life
Below I edited myself to show what I would look like if I followed the "body goals" today- and to show just how easy it is to manipulate a photo.
I know this seems ridiculous because you know me and you know what I look like. But these are the EXACT ratios that are all over the instagram influencers pages...
I have a very slim and athletic body type. I will never be a super curvy babe, and I'm ok with that- I'll leave that to my curvy queens. We can both exist and both be beautiful in our own way.
Bottom line-
As you can see chasing the perfect ideal body today, is futile because this inevitably changes within decades. You can already see that the huge butt thing is starting to die down a bit, so who knows we may be back to more normal bodies within 10 years. (praying hands)
And you cannot spend your whole life chasing after what is not YOU. Or you can, but what a waste.
We spend so much time punishing our bodies.
Feeling insecure.
Wishing we had what she has.
Starving ourselves.
Spending thousands.
Putting our lives and mental health at risk trying to reach perfection.
A destination that we likely will never reach.
You are beautiful just as you are.
Small boobs, big boobs, big butt, tiny butt, all the curves, or none at all.
And don’t worry if you do not fit into the perfect ideal body type today- chances are your body type will be the ideal eventually.
And what about the concept that we completely banished the “ideal” and instead celebrated each other‘s differences. What a difference that would make.
Sincerely,
Vox the Fox
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