7 Poses That Make Instagram Stars Look Unreal

Everyone knows many of the things and people you see Instagram are products of illusion. But ask body-positivity queen and model Iskra Lawerence, and she'll tell you it goes beyond filters and Photoshop: In a YouTube video and corresponding Instagram post that received more than 132,000 likes in a matter of days, she revealed seven common contortions that people — including models and influencers like herself — rely on to accentuate their assets, resulting in illusions that people can't possibly measure up to IRL.

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"There's nothing wrong with moving your body in ways you feel most comfortable or confident, but let's be honest and show the actual process," she wrote in her Instagram caption.

Although some of her followers' comments suggest they're taking her myth-busting sentiments as a manifesto on how to pose, it's Iskra's intension to provide clarity, not instruction: "Good lighting, good angles, good posing — it can completely change what your body looks like," she says in her YouTube video. "I just want to show you the real stuff and show you how that really does affect how you look in photos, so you can understand when you're looking at a photo that's not necessarily real."

Here's what models often rely on to create these illusions — so you can beware when you're looking at their images.

1. Tilting the pelvis backward and standing on tippy toes to create a thigh gap.

Some models also widen their stance to create the illusion.

2. Angling the elbow backward to make it look smaller.

"Anything that's in the foreground of a photo is going to appear larger," Iskra says, of models' tendency to bend the elbow and tilt it away from the camera.

3. Touching the tongue to the roof of the mouth to lift the chin.

Iskra says many models also hold the camera above the face and angle it downward to achieve the same effect.

4. Popping the hip to make the butt look bigger.

"It makes me feel powerful and strong and confident," Iskra says of accentuating her butt.

5. Turning the butt toward the camera to enhance it.

This one is also used to enhance the appearance of the butt.

6. Standing up straight to conceal back rolls.

"There is nothing wrong with back fat, nothing wrong with rolls, [but] people are getting rid of them in photos," Isrka says of this pose.

7. Lifting the chest and leaning to the side to smooth belly rolls.

"When you look at these images, don't think these people don't get little rolls when they sit down," she says.

~The Takeaway~

"Be super aware when you look at perfected images what actually goes on behind the scenes," Iskra says in her YouTube video. "Not everything is real, but you are. And being you is good enough."

Amen, Iskra!

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