Fitness Instagrammer’s brilliant post on the reality of social media

A POPULAR fitness Instagrammer has posted a photo which will challenge how we really see ourselves on social media.

IT’S NO secret that social media can make us feel awful about ourselves.

If you’re bored on a Friday night, the last thing you want to see is updates from your Facebook friends having fun at a party.

If you’re feeling unattractive, nothing feels worse than scrolling through photos of seemingly-perfect fitness models on Instagram.

And when it comes to Valentine’s Day, of course, being single involves boycotting the internet entirely to keep your sanity in tact.

But one inspiring fitness model has stepped forward to challenge all that.

Jessica Pack, a landscape architect from Orlando, Florida, has been posting shots of her fitness journey since last June.

It’s pretty standard stuff: before-and-after body shots, pictures of healthy food and short workout videos. In that time, she’s accumulated a large Instagram fan-base of over more than followers.

But last week, she showed them all this.

These “Before and After” fitness shots were taken just 30 seconds apart.

“This is not a transformation photo,” she wrote in the caption. “These pics were taken second (sic) apart this morning.

“On the left my posture is poor, I’m pushing my belly out as far as possible, I adjusted my bottoms to show my gross, unsightly and horrid love handles.

“On the right I’m standing straight and comfortably. I’m lightly flexing and I’ve adjusted my bottoms to hide my love handles. I’m thankful for bikini bottoms that now fit well and hide these but I’m also trying to show that they still exist quite a bit, and that not everything we see meets the eye here on social media.”

She goes on to say that despite having accomplished a lot on her fitness journey, her body isn’t perfect, but that being vulnerable and imperfect is better than lying to yourself.

“Fitness and health is not a fix. It’s not a destination. It’s a lifestyle. If you force your progress you know who you are cheating?! You. You only cheat you.

“I am not a before picture. I am not an after picture. I am not fat, nor am I perfect. I’m flawed. I’m scarred. I’m insecure. But I’m learning and I’m hopeful that one day I’ll fully love me.”

Jessica’s message is simple but significant.

A major recent report based on hundreds of international studies found that social media can have a toxic impact on young people’s health and wellbeing.

Self-image is a key part of this. Lead researcher Deborah Richards stressed that teenage girls with body image issues are particularly at risk, with children as young as nine years old at risk of harm.

Another study by researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast found the “fitspiration” trend can have an even worse affect on women than photographs of idealised fashion models.

All things considered, it’s certainly refreshing to have someone with a large following come forward with a reality check, and reinforce that what we see on social media doesn’t reflect real life.

Jessica Pack isn’t the first person to shine a light on this issue.

In November last year, 19-year-old Instagrammer Essena O’Neill went global after she sensationally quit social media, stressing how little her “perfect” snaps represented real life.

Just something to think about the next time you’re stressing over how your body compares to someone else’s.