February 4, 2022
Artist: Charlotte Lee
I’m sure you, like me, have found yourself engulfed in an article titled along the lines of “Celebrity Photoshop Fails” or “Kardashian’s Caught Using Facetune'' and have zoomed in on pictures of an accidental wavy bookcase or an arm that looked like it had a bite taken out of it. And I’m sure you, like me, have gained a strange sense of comfort from these articles, which validate a message we’re told again and again - that social media isn’t real - and that these seemingly perfect celebrities can also be insecure, and are not the perfectly polished superhumans we think they are.
In September of 2021, Alex Cooper - the host of the popular podcast ‘Call Her Daddy’ - shared an episode bravely admitting to photoshopping herself on Instagram. In September of 2017, model Emily Ratajkowski posted "I was extremely disappointed to see my lips and breasts altered [...] on this cover," beneath the unphotoshopped version of her posing on the cover of a magazine. In November of 2021, model Bella Hadid posted vulnerable photos of her crying in bed, with the caption “social media is not real.” The authenticity of these celebrities to share their imperfections on social media was celebrated as real and brave, and led to further conversations about the harmful effects of photoshopping and presenting a perfectly curated life on Instagram.
A dialogue was sparked - leading people to follow in the footsteps of these applauded celebrities with a cry to “make Instagram casual again.” This coined term has come to represent posting the simple joys of seeing a pretty cloud or sipping an iced coffee, the blurry picture where we’re caught between two poses, or the filter-less mirror selfie. The movement intends to take the previously perfection-driven agenda of Instagram away, and replace it with a more nonchalant and raw version of ourselves and our lives. The movement can be viewed as a sort of scrapbook, where we can post the unedited, unfiltered, and effortless moments from our days which bring us joy. But, is “make Instagram casual again” really making social media a more “real” and “authentic” place?
Appearing casual and nonchalant takes conscious effort, and in some cases, even more effort than if one were to pose perfectly still with a glistening smile. While posting a photo grocery shopping appears authentic and casual, what we don’t see is the time spent picking a trendy outfit and jewelry, the 100 pictures not posted in order to get the “perfect blurry photo,” and the planning of which aisle to stand in with the best colors for one's feed. My point being, “make Instagram casual again” is not truly casual, and can even require more effort and time in an effort to appear nonchalant. On top of this, while relatability and authenticity are at the center of the movement, we are still looking through our camera roll and carefully choosing the pictures to post - skipping over our crying pictures or bad outfits and selecting the pictures where our hair looks effortlessly good or where we are laughing with friends.
Instagram is still curated, and therefore, is still not real. Although our progress to condone photoshop and inauthenticity is a feat that should be celebrated, we should still carry the knowledge with us that while Instagram and social media may appear to be becoming more casual and authentic, at the end of the day, we are all consciously choosing the version of ourselves that we present on social media.