When you're having an insecure day, is there anything worse than logging into your insta only to see streams of flawless, toned celebs and influencers, looking picture perfect? Well, we’re here to tell you that most of them are edited to the max. We’re talking filters on top of filters that change their appearance until they’re unrecognisable. Don’t believe us? Well, check out these 40 Instagrammers who went that bit too far and got called out for their unrealistic editing.
When You Edit the Years Away
This one has been done pretty cleverly. This woman has simply used the correct photoshop to make herself look about twenty years younger. Thing is - she is entirely unrecognizable. In fact, she could pass as her own daughter.
Might be a fun game to see how you would look at a different age but if this is being used seriously then it’s definitely going to confuse people when they meet her. And let’s be honest - this woman is stunning at her natural age - so it really seems unnecessary.
When You Realise How Cover Stars Really Look
So, this is a great example of how magazines get their glamour shots. Have you ever wondered why every person on the front cover looks perfect and kind of identical - well this is why! Because they are edited within an inch of their life.
But how refreshing would it be to actually see the woman on the left on the front cover of a magazine instead? A real, beautiful woman? Now, that’s a magazine we’d actually buy.
When You Edit Your Organs Out
There are so many strange things to address in this photo - first and foremost the editing of this man’s waist. It’s been reduced to such a small size were pretty sure it would be impossible for him to actually still have any internal organs left.
This bizarre effect also makes his head appear huge - with it now being twice the size of his abdomen. Considering the blatant editing done here - we can’t help but throw some doubt on those arms and that six-pack too.
When Hips Really Do Lie
We love a curvy girl but we also like hips that don’t lie - and these ones are lying a lot! The effect of this editing is similar to the illusion you create when you stand in front of a mirror at a funfair and it disproportionately enlarges one part of your body.
Were sure she looked far more lovely pre-edit, based on how good she looks in the rest of the picture. But that bad editing really is unforgivable.
When You Edit Yourself Into an Alien
We’ve all fallen victim to adding the odd filter to smooth over some lines or perk up a dull pic. But this woman has taken it too far. Not only does she look like an entirely different person - she looks like a different species.
She has altered her eyes and face shape to non-human proportions that make this snap stand out for all the wrong reasons. She may look younger but we definitely prefer the original - far less scary. Keep it real, sister.
When Your Reflection Gives You Away
Due to Instagrammers themselves, the ‘thigh gap’ has become one of the most enviable attributes. That elusive slice of air that is captured between your legs to prove that - heaven forbid - they don’t touch.
Well, this Instagrammer obviously felt the pressure as they went right ahead and edited that gap in. How do we know? Well unfortunately the reflection in the window behind her gives her away. Top tip - if you’re going to change your image, don’t do it in front of a shiny window.
When You Edit a Rope Through Your Leg
There’s no denying that this woman looks pretty perfect - flawless skin, great swimsuit - she even has matching sunglasses. However, if you can tear your eyes away from her clever balancing act for a second, you will see that the rope from her swing is actually going straight through her leg …
Now, considering how happy she looks, we’re pretty sure this is just a case of terrible editing as opposed to a terrible accident.
When Your Hand Is Half the Size of Your Body
It takes a while to spot it but once you do - you can't unsee it. One of her hands is about three times the size of the other one. You can just see it poking out from behind her perfectly (probably edited) body.
Although to be honest, it is might not actually that big. But in comparison to the other hand which has been altered so much that it has become tiny - pretty much anything would look huge in comparison.
When You Edit Lines in Instead of Out
This woman has been the victim of some very poor editing indeed. Firstly - were confused by the general chin elongation/ face smoothing/ avatar vibe. But the real problem is how badly it has been done - the left and right sides don’t match.
In fact, the right side has got waves in it so it looks like half of the picture has been dipped in water. Sort of defeats the purpose of editing out the lines if you’re just going to accidentally edit some new ones back in.
When You Shrink Your Head
Tiny heads are in fashion right now - didn’t you know? Well, no we didn’t actually either, and after looking at this pic were not sure it’s the best move. This woman appears to of shrunk her head so much that her very slim body looks oddly big in comparison.
We’re sure they are very normal shoulders but with that teeny tiny head on top, they look absurd. Or maybe it’s just because her sunglasses are so huge that they make her head look small …
When You Turn Yourself Into a Mermaid
In her defense - this one may not have been editing as such as some clever camera angles that were used to make her legs look longer … and unfortunately also made her feet look longer too.
And by longer, we mean about half the length of her body. We think she used a wide-angle shot to create this mermaid look - which considering she’s being snapped on a bridge is pretty apt. She could dive right in!
When a Beach Snap Gets Spooky
From the dead straight eyebrows, the enormous eyes, and the tiny nose - this woman’s face has been edited beyond recognition - as in you can’t recognize her as quite human. Her mouth is probably this biggest giveaway, as it has overtaken her face - although the bad neck and hair editing are also to blame.
Somehow, she has made it look like she either doesn’t have a left shoulder or has an enormous neck. Either way, we think this beauty would have done better keeping it a bit more real.
When You Transform Yourself Into an Avatar
We have to call this guy out for over-filtering. His face has been smoothed and buffed to the point that he has become an avatar. When did we stop loving characteristics? Lines and freckles that mark us as us?
Turns out these now need to be eradicated - and if you’re in any doubt that some trickery has taken place, just check out his hand - the skin looks entirely different. At least the bunny made it out unscathed.
When The Editing Leaves You With Blurred Lines
This guy was found on tinder - and we have a feeling he might look slightly different in real life. One of our biggest problems here isn’t even the editing itself (although the excessive smoothing of the skin and largening of the eyes is a little terrifying).
It’s the poor quality of the whole thing. His outline has a fuzzy digital appearance that makes him look like an animation. We know you’re meeting people online, but you are still supposed to be an actual real person.
When Your Shoulders Become Shoulder Pads
There are two glaring absurdities in this picture that distract us from the lovely dress and this woman's overall look. The main one is of course her shoulders. We get that big shoulders can make your body look smaller - hence the eighties ‘shoulder pad’ fad.
But you can’t just make your shoulders into points - it looks bizarre. And the second is the bag - we have to ask - is it balancing on her fingers? Or simply floating in mid-air?
When You Go All Out Anime
Were not sure if this is intended to be a lifelike snap or a cool anime interpretation of her alter ego. We hope it’s the latter though because no one is believing this is real for a second.
She does however make a cool anime character and has gone all out and even dressed the part in traditional anime style. Here’s hoping she doesn’t use this level of editing for her day-to-day snaps.
When You Photoshop Yourself Into a Google Pic
We would be suspicious of this one even if someone hadn’t found the exact pic that she edited herself into on google (at least choose a more obscure picture that’s hard to find?) The simple fact of the matter is that you cannot swim with a group of sharks unprotected (in a bikini with a flattering leg cross pose).
You have to be in a cage and some far more unflattering protective gear. It’s pretty damn irresponsible of her to post in the caption that they are harmless too - considering that she's never actually been near them in real life.
When We Don’t Like (Unnaturally) Big Butts
We like big butts and we cannot lie … but not ones that have been made unnaturally big. We are all about celebrating those natural curves baby and this is not natural. Against her tiny waist her behind looks more than disproportionately big - and not even her highly filtered smile can convince us otherwise.
If you want any more assurance that this booty is not all that it seems, then just look at the background - the plants and windowsill have been ignored in the editing process and give the whole game away.
When Your Arm Is Bigger Than Your Body
Her arm and her head that is - but the bangles on the arm drew our attention first. This woman seems to of done a clever job of slimming her body down (not that she needed to) but seems to of forgotten her arm and her head.
The effect is a very big but short arm - with an even bigger head popped on top. We’re sure some extra weight would look better than this odd image but each to their own.
When You Turn Yourself Into a Body Builder
He may have edited in some killer biceps but he also seems to of accidentally edited out his neck in the process … were not sure if that was intentional or not but the overall effect causes us to cast doubt on his muscles on display too.
In fact, on closer inspection, there are some suspicious lines that lead us straight to the photoshop diagnosis. To be fair, it is easier than bodybuilding but were not sure the final result is quite what he had hoped for.
Look Only at My Legs!
When Lindsey Lohan was younger and didn't fully comprehend the wonders of social media, she uploaded seemingly "regular" day-2-day images and laughed about anything and everything, even at the image coming out too red, making her legs a different color.
What she failed to see is that her 'derriere' has been struck with a weird digital illness affecting her surroundings, like the door frame. So she wanted people to notice one thing, while they actually noticed something else.
When You Erase Your Nose … and Eyebrows and Teeth
How many times have you wished you could just banish those imperfections away? Well, this woman took that a tad too far by actually banishing them from this picture.
We get the impression that she didn’t like her nose or eyebrows - or having individual teeth? However, we’re pretty sure that just removing these things entirely is not the way forward. Surely an imperfect nose is better than no nose at all?
When You Blend Yourself Into the Background
There's no denying that this woman looks gorgeous. Her hair is on fleek, her pout is perfection, and her eyes pop right out at you. But she seems to of been less pleased with the edges of her body - as she has faded them all away.
That’s right - so much airbrushing has taken place that the lines around her have been entirely blurred away until her chin and neck have become one and her body has begun to melt into the background. Someone needs to tell her that it's better to stand out than to blend in.
When You Steal Someone Else’s Head
We don’t really know where to begin. This one looks like a school project where kids have been asked to cut the faces of models out of magazines and stick them on the bodies of other people. It’s fun, it’s silly, and it’s unrealistic.
Unfortunately, the message didn’t get quite get across to this woman who kicked it old school and fully cut another person's head onto her own body. Why photoshop your own face when you can just steal someone else’s, eh?
When You Get Yourself a (Digital) Designer Hat
Are you dying to get your hands on the latest designer accessories, but don’t like the look of the price tag? Then don’t worry - you can just do like this Instagrammer and edit one on.
We imagine she found a pic of this hat online and popped it on her head - a much cheaper alternative to actually buying it. It does look a bit suspect though - or maybe that’s just because she has also edited her nose off. Something isn’t right anyway.
When You Make Your Body Bigger (Or Head Smaller? )
Were not sure what he has done but we know it’s not good. So, he has either made his body bigger (which considering how small that cup looks in his hand is a definite option) or made his head smaller … which would seem like an odd choice - but that woman on our list earlier did it so maybe its a trend?
Either way, inconsistency here is the issue as his head and body do not match at all and make him look utterly bizarre. If you’re gonna do some tweaking - make sure you’ve covered all the bases.
When the Same Sky Follows You Everywhere
How beautiful does the sky look in that first pic? The sun set over the house. Ooo and the second - over that path. Wait, it looks good in all of them ... because it’s the same sky.
That’s right, this Instagrammer liked the look of this highly edited sky so much they decided not to bother editing any more skies and to just use this one for every setting. A church, a hill, a fairy-lit street - you name it, that sky is there. Did someone say groundhog day?
When You Edit Yourself Into a Tim Burton Movie
We all know that characteristic look of the cartoons on The Nightmare Before Christmas - the enlarged lips, the pinched chin, the oversized eyes. Well, welcome to nightmare on Instagram.
Maybe she was playing tribute - in which case this is a cool snap. But if we’re pretending this is reality then we might hit some issues, because this snap is less realistic than Edward Scissor Hands.
When You Spread Fake Waves of Positivity
Our problem here is not the editing itself, but rather the caption that comes with it. If you are going to edit your body to unrealistic proportions, don’t use it to influence others with a body-positive message.
This isn’t body-positive for the people you are influencing. Plus - if you’re going to alter a picture - you really should check the background. It looks like a biblical flood is about to take place.
When You Are the Queen of the Perfect Shot
Were not finding faults in this editing because Kylie Jenner is a billionaire extraordinaire, and if she can’t edit a photo right - then who the hell can?
She has built her empire on her image - and selling that image, so it is understandable that she knows just the right angles to pull, makeup to wear, and finishing filter touches to apply to transform herself into the perfect shot. All bow down to the queen. This is how it’s done.
When You Turn Yourself Into a Giant
This image is clearly intended to look edited - firstly there are three of the same person and the background is a cartoon fairyland of lily pads. We’re not sure, however, that the model herself is supposed to look edited. Unfortunately, though, she's fooling absolutely no one with those legs.
The disproportionally long limbs are twice the length of the rest of her body combined - maybe she’s supposed to look like a creature who would in fact live in that fairytale? Who knows.
When You Give Yourself a Digital Makeover
We love to get lost in someone’s eyes - but normally that’s just a metaphor. However, with this influencer you probably actually could because she made them that big. In fact, they completely dominate her face and almost distract us from her altered mouth and smoothed skin.
We’re pretty sure she used a make-up filter too, which is for sure a time saver but be warned people - it can leave you looking like a cartoon.
When You Turn Back Time
Here is yet another case of someone editing away the years - this time however it’s none other than Vera Wang: fashion icon and influencer to millions. We all saw the snaps of her on her 72nd birthday and felt dumbfounded as she looked closer to 27.
However, that may in part be due to the clever editing done by her team. There was no need though, even in the original she looks phenomenal - and a far better role model for ladies of her age. Live your truth, Vera.
When You Airbrush Out Your Waist
One of our biggest confusions here is why anyone would wear a corset that tight to the gym? Surely you’d pass out as soon as you hit the treadmill. Our second is why anyone thinks a waist that small and unnatural looks good.
And our third is how anyone thinks we are falling for the trickery and believing this is actually real - because if it was she wouldn’t have any organs left - and most definitely wouldn’t be working out.
When You Combine Your Favourite Models to Create a New Bod
So, this Instagrammer seems to of taken her favorite bits from other Instagrammers and spliced them together to create one ‘perfect’ model … the only problem is, the editing is so bad that the results are far from perfect. In fact, they are downright bizarre.
In her rush to get this new head on this new body - she has completely forgotten to include a neck. She has also failed to blend any of the skin tones so there’s a real patchwork effect going on which we don’t think was intentional.
When You Airbrush Your Magic Away
This is a clear example of someone not understanding just how beautiful they are. We can see in the second pic that she has fallen victim to standardized online beauty and decided that she needs a smaller nose, flawless skin, and blinding white teeth.
The thing is she looks like a replica of every other influencer out there. We’d personally choose the individual in the first pic - unique and beautiful. Much more up our street.
When You Steal Someone Else's Face
Okay, so he has either stolen another person’s face and edited it straight onto his body - or he has used so many filters on his face alone that it looks as though it no longer matches his body.
Either way, the color, texture, and overall appearance of that man’s head in no way matches his body and throws doubt over the authenticity of the whole image. Also, let’s be honest, who wears that much make-up to go for a swim?
When Your Shadow Gives You Away
If we were having a half-naked photoshoot done, believe us we would be breathing in. But this model has gone one step further and airbrushed her tummy straight out (probably a more comfortable alternative than not breathing for the whole shoot).
How do we know? Well, she looks slightly different in her shadow. The shadow however still has a damn enviable silhouette so we’re not sure why she bothered - she looked great already!
When You Take the Thigh Gap One Step Too Far
Why we ask, would you spend all that money on that beautiful purse, and then pair it with a badly edited photo? We get the thigh gap goal, but she has space for an elephant between her legs.
Maybe it’s because she widened her hips or slimmed her legs - were not sure. Either way, the result is not good - and it’s distracting us from the star of the show - the purse! Unacceptable.
When You Use Photoshop to Change Your Identity
Well, if you ever need an identity change, then this is the woman to get in touch with. What’s scary here, is the transformation looks so real. Unlike so many of the images on this list, it is free from the telltale signs of unrealistic editing.
She doesn’t look like an alien or like her internal organs have been removed. Just a very real, beautiful, woman .. who happens to look absolutely nothing like the original. Terrifying. Get this woman a job on a film set STAT.
When You Remove a Giraffes Body
And for our final reminder that not everything you see on the internet is real - we have the removal of a giraffes body. Look how slim this woman is - not to mention of average height. Are you telling us that she could conceal an entire giraffe - the tallest animal in the world - behind her body?
Turns out she wasn’t on some epic adventure holiday but just in an editing suite. So, the moral of the story? Don’t let influences let you think they’re living a better life than you - because the chances are, it’s not real.