It used to be the case that anytime we saw a fitness blogger's side-by-side photos, they were usually before-and-after shots, meant to show how hard said blogger had worked to get to their fitness goals. While that's still the case for many people, some fitness gurus are bucking the trend and posting side-by-side photos taken just minutes apart, to show that an "ideal" body can sometimes just be a trick of the camera angle.
Fitness blogger Anna Victoria took to her Instagram page yesterday to post two photos of herself, taken presumably minutes apart, to send a powerful message to her followers. Victoria described the photos as "me 1% of the time vs. me 99% of the time," explaining that "good or bad angles don't change your worth."
"I love both photos equally," Victoria wrote in her caption. "As I'm getting older, I have cellulite and stretch marks that aren't going away, and I welcome them. They represent a life fully lived (for 28 years so far :)) and a healthy life and body at that."
Victoria also explained that she was inspired to post her side-by-side photos after coming across an article about Molly Galbraith, a fellow fitness blogger who posted a message about embracing her flaws — because they aren't flaws to begin with.
"I LOVED that because it sends such a powerful message that our belly rolls, cellulite, stretch marks are nothing to apologise for, to be ashamed of, or to be obsessed with getting rid of!" Victoria wrote. "How can I be mad at my body for perfectly normal 'flaws'? This body is strong, can run miles, can lift and squat and push and pull weight around, and it's happy not just because of how it looks, but because of how it feels."
Victoria ended her note with a call to action to her followers to practice more love and appreciation for their bodies and themselves.
"When you approach your journey, I want you to remember these things: I will not punish my body. I will fuel it. I will challenge it. AND I will love it."
Victoria's post highlights that social media can be pretty deceptive — and that's okay, as long as we realise that the images we see are just images. We're all on our own paths and her message is a powerful reminder to love our bodies for how they are, how they feel, and how strong they can be.