We are deep in the era of the booty, ladies and gentlemen. From Beyoncé to Kim K to J. Lo, celebs are all about #bootygoals. It's enough to make anyone with a less-than-perfect posterior feel insecure, but fear not. Despite what social media might make you think, there actually is no such thing as the perfect butt.
"The perfect butt does exist, just not for me." That's how many people might feel about it. They'll squat and burpee their way to injury trying to achieve a look that doesn't come naturally for their body type. It can leave them feeling hopeless and disappointed. While we all wish there are things that we could change about our bodies, we should refocus our efforts on celebrating the bodies we have and making them as healthy as possible. One Instagram user has gone to great lengths to prove just that, with transformation posts that show how artificial these "transformations" can be.
Meet Louise, a Health and Fitness Instagrammer
Louise wants to share realistic fitness and health goals with her followers and does an awesome job at keeping it real.
If you scroll through her feed you might notice she has a seriously awesome butt.
I mean, she's in awesome shape, and she looks thrilled about it. Who could blame her?
If you're scrolling through her feed, this might be you. It was me. At some point, it's been all of us. We get jealous and obsess, but thankfully some people use their platform for good.
There's More Than Meets the Eye
Louise wants you to know it's not about how you look but how you feel and how healthy you truly are. "I now eat twice as much as I used to; I do no cardio at all; and I've NEVER FELT BETTER. I treat my body the way it deserves. This is the real secret ."
Healthy doesn't always mean skinny, and skinny doesn't always mean healthy! It's an important message not enough of us understand.
Being invested in working out and keeping a strict diet also doesn't always necessarily mean you're in good shape, even if you're seeing surface results. You could be depriving your body of necessary nutrients. You could be beating yourself up. None of these should be goals, and yet we see it all too much.
And About That Booty...
It can be Instagram perfection, and it can be what you and I see in the mirror every day. Bodies don't stay posed. You don't spend every minute of the day flexing in perfect lighting with perfect angles.
It's still not easy for us to expose our less-than-favorite angles. "I love to share with you my progress. But it also includes my opinion showing you I don't walk around with abs 24/7, and that you should not let yourself down after seeing hot women all over Instagram."
Louise encourages us all to focus on what makes sense for our lifestyle and for our happiness. There's no point in looking amazing if you're miserable.
Just look at how much of a difference it makes when you make the right choices for yourself versus the choices others want you to make!
Louise's Followers Are Inspired by Her Realistic Outlook
Reading the comments on Louise's posts, it's clear that her followers find her inspirational. The idea that someone like Louise can be trying to sell you the perfect booty melts away when you realize she's trying to save people from themselves.
There have been criticisms that eating disorders and illnesses such as body dysmorphia are now trendy and that the terms themselves are overused. The truth is, we're more disillusioned with ourselves than ever. Many people come to social media looking for validation and boosts to their self-esteem but find overwhelming negativity.
We applaud Instagrammers like Louise who set us straight! We need to learn to scroll past people selling us lies and linger on those who tell it like it is.
It's always good to work toward a healthier lifestyle. It's more important to make sure you're pursuing it for the right reasons. Keep your mind and body on the right track, and you'll be your happiest, best self before you know it!
