A fitness influencer has been applauded for boldly calling out the truth being those social media pictures.
If your virtual timeline is filled with washboard abs, thigh gaps, and smoothie bowls, you probably know all too well how impossible those 'aspirational' physiques actually are. No matter how much you go to the gym or shun your usual Friday night takeaway, everybody will never look like that person you follow online.
Molly Ava is an online fitness coach who amassed a whopping 512,000 followers. You'd expect her Instagram to be flooded with posed pictures of her flexing in Lululemon leggings or drinking green juice for breakfast, but Molly uses her platform to debunk the myth of social media.
In a recent Instagram post, Molly posted a series of pictures taken on the same day with the text 'social media vs reality'. In one of the side-by-side images, she is showing off her flat stomach in a black and white bikini. This contrasts with a photo of her sitting down where her stomach naturally creates rolls. Another photo sees the fitness coach looking ultra lean in the morning but then shows how her stomach bloats after having dinner.
"Your reminder that what you see online is only a very small per cent of the bigger picture," she captioned the post. "Comparison is the thief of joy. Focus on you girlie, because I bet you’re doing just GREAT. Your body deserves your love and respect."
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Hundreds of users flocked to the comments section to applaud Molly's inspiring post, with many saying it made them feel better about their own bodies. "Thank goodness for people like you being real and honest!" one user raved. "You rock!"
Another agreed, commenting: "I love how brave you are to show what most people don't dare to." A third added: "You're the best; you're helping us feel a lot better this summer!" While a fourth wrote: "Oh my god, this is the post I needed. I've been SO hard on myself lately."