When you see photos of fit celebrities, it's easy to feel like you're the only person in the world who has an "imperfect" body.
Unfortunately, due to Photoshop and other tricky photo-editing maneuvers, society has given women an unrealistic sense of what they "should" and "shouldn't" look like. To make it worse, many public figures aren't up front about the fact that they manipulate images of themselves (or that the media manipulates images of them) to make it appear as though they have so-called "flawless" bodies.
Luckily, more and more body-positive role models have been emerging in recent years to shed light on the truth about the media and its manipulations of the female form. Plus-size models like Ashley Graham have long been at the forefront of this movement, challenging ideas of the "perfect" body.
But even traditionally fit women are now speaking out about exactly what it takes to get those picture-perfect body shots that rack up thousands of likes and admiring comments on Instagram. Fitness blogger Sophie Allen shared a post that sheds light on one thing almost every woman has: cellulite.
Scroll through to see what Sophie had to say about the realities of being a woman with cellulite!
Thumbnail Photo: Instagram / Sophie Allen
[H/T: Redbook Magazine]
Sophie is an Australian Instagram star and soon-to-be certified personal trainer living in Sydney.
She has over 153,000 followers on Instagram, where she posts photos of her fitness progress and also revealing looks into how she (and other fitness stars) pose their bodies in the most flattering angles.
On August 15, 2017, Sophie posted side-by-side photos showing off her butt. But this wasn't an ordinary post showing off how fit she is.
The photo on the left is labeled "My butt." The photo on the right is labeled "Also my butt."
In her caption, Sophie explains that her goal with sharing these two drastically different photos of her butt was to reveal the truth about cellulite — namely, that virtually all women have it and that many, many women hide it.
Sophie writes:
“Just keepin’ it real with y’all #ihavecellulitetoo and it appears when I squeeze my butt & disappears with the simple act of slightly tilting my hips out! Don’t ever let instagram take away from your achievements, cause there’s a lot of editing, tilting, posing, angles, lighting and all the rest going on. We alll do it, just don’t beat yourself up if you feel like you see all these celluliteless peeps out there. We have to embrace and love our bodies as they are, whilst working towards our healthiest, strongest selves.”
This isn't the first time that Sophie has emphasized the importance of being healthy and strong over having an "aesthetically pleasing" body.
In addition to spreading body positivity on Instagram, Sophie also runs the blog Soph Active Life, where she writes about her fitness journey as well as nutrition and health.
As the trainer-to-be reveals in her site's bio, a scary near-death experience is what propelled her to undertake her fitness journey.
After having an exploratory surgery to see if she had endometriosis back in 2010, Sophie wound up in the ICU.
Doctors sent Sophie home to recover after the surgery, but it turned out that her bowel had been perforated during the procedure.
"I spent a long time in hospital, lost almost all of my muscle mass and strength, couldn't walk, had collapsed lungs, all of the drugs and procedure after procedure," Sophie writes.
In the years since the incident, Sophie has dedicated herself to feeling strong and healthy once again.
"For me, my motivation to be fit isn't just about the aesthetics, it's about feeling strong, seeing how far I can push myself physically and mentally and putting myself and my health in the best possible position to avoid the hell out of being that person on the left again," she said.
Clearly, Sophie isn't afraid to show off "unflattering" photos with "bad" angles, lighting, and poses! Her Instagram is filled with posts showing off her body "before" and "after" careful posing.
What matters most is that Sophie is comfortable with her body after her trying ordeal — and that she's inspiring other women to feel the same way about their own figures.
Over 22,000 people liked Sophie's revealing, butt cellulite post, and hundreds have commented thanking her for being so candid and real.
If you love what Sophie has to say about body positivity, don't forget to SHARE this story on Facebook!