Scroll through social media for even a few minutes, and you’ll see just how much care and attention people put into making themselves look good for the camera. It’s rare that you see someone post an unflattering photo (unless it was a tagged photo) because it’s social media, and there’s an unspoken feeling that the world is judging you for everything you share.
Unfortunately, this incessant desire to look perfect in every picture pushes some people beyond the limits of what’s reasonable. Social media users will go to great lengths to put their best foot forward. A lot of people use filters, effects, and editing tools like Photoshop to transform their bodies into something that defies the laws of nature. Here are the 30 examples of Photoshop edits that have gone too far.
Hourglass-shaped body
Every girl’s dream would be to have a perfect hourglass-shaped body, with the old Barbie doll being the standard that put such ideas in our heads in the first place. However, it is next to impossible to have the perfect body, so some girls opt for filters and Photoshop to achieve their dream.
Photo-editing skills aside, this type of figure just isn’t physically possible. After all, your internal organs have to go somewhere! Could someone still breathe if they had this body shape? Her waist appears to be smaller than her head.
Like a Kardashian
Because of Kim Kardashian’s famous curvaceous figure, many women are now chasing impossible body standards. Unfortunately, not everyone was gifted with that asset, and not everyone has the money for the surgery. So, the easiest way to get big cheeks is to resort to photo editing.
It’s clear that this is not a natural asset, but kudos to this woman as there is no distortion around the buttocks. She’s done a great job of presenting this pic. However, this leaves us thinking, why do people go to so much effort to change their natural appearance?
Fancy Filters
It’s fun to discover different filters that change or warp our appearance, especially if it gives us a cool new look, like different colored eyes or longer hair. However, this picture takes things too far, and certain areas need to be addressed.
On a lighter note, the background, the lighting, and the scenery reflected in her googles look natural. It’s also clear that this girl is a natural beauty. However, the filter she’s applied makes her look quite alienesque. We’re not complaining – it actually looks quite cool! However, we hope no one is fooled into thinking this is anything other than the work of filters.
Shining, Shimmering, Splendid
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. You can see the true beauty of a person if you look into their eyes. Moreover, you can also see the true emotion in someone’s eyes; you can see if they are genuinely happy or just faking it. How would you feel if someone said you look like a doll? Would you be flattered?
This man looks like Barbie’s counterpart, Ken. His skin has the shiny smoothness of plastic, and his teeth are gleaming like he just stepped off the set of a toothpaste commercial. Can we also talk about how shiny the bracelet is? For sure, it got a little help from Photoshop, considering the shining, shimmering, splendid effect it has.
When Your Arms Are Bigger Than Your Waist
The distortion of this photo is on the next level. The arms are not in proportion with the rest of the body. Could that waist even hold her upper body without crumpling? Your core is where all your strength and balance come from. If it’s tinier than your arms, you (and your internal organs) are in trouble.
This girl had taken the gym seriously, and we commend her for that. However, even if she were to hit the gym 24 hours a day, she wouldn’t get arms so big they were larger than her waist. Even the beefiest bodybuilders don’t have arms that big! It’s sad that this generation believes that unattainable body types are normal and desirable. All body shapes can be beautiful!
A “Slight” Touch-up
Skin texture is normal! Acne spots under the foundation, lines on your forehead, a bit of darkness around your eyes – all of this is perfectly fine and natural. None of it makes you less of a person.
However, some people glorify flawless skin that doesn’t have a single spot or imperfection. In this photo, the woman did an excellent job of editing. However, she no longer looks like herself. Can we normalize being imperfect yet beautiful in our own ways?
Fake Rain
Technology is continuously progressing, and because of this, there are many things that we can now do that weren’t possible a decade ago. We can put ourselves in different places by using fake backgrounds. We can even take a fake walk in some fake rain with our fake abs showing!
How is it that their shirts and abs are identical, right down to the air bubbles that have formed? How is it raining yet their hair remains dry and styled? The longer you look at this photo, the more unbelievable it gets.
The Incredible Italicized Woman
Italics are used when we want to emphasize words. However, italics are not acceptable when it comes to our bodily proportions unless we are talking about contortionists who do it for a living. Sadly, that is not the case in this photo.
The girl in this picture seems painfully italicized. If her back were really contorted like that, our best guess would be that she was in serious need of physical therapy. This shape does not exist in nature! The warped and deformed background in this picture makes it even more obvious that it was Photoshopped beyond belief. We only bring attention to this to ensure that young women don’t think that they should try to achieve a look that is quite literally impossible.
Is That You, Wendy?
Being a celebrity means you have to make a lot of media appearances, and people expect you to always be looking your best. However, in print media such as magazines, many extra touch-ups are carried out to make the model or the celebrity look impossibly good.
This is what happened to Wendy Williams. Wendy is already fabulous as she is, but the magazine editor thought she should have a few touch-ups after her photoshoot. The only problem is, the editor went too far because Wendy barely even looks like herself!
Fountain of Youth
As our photo editing skills improve, older people seem to be aging in reverse. Eventually, they become unrecognizable because of how heavily edited their photos are.
Maybe these people are reminiscing about their past. They miss the younger version of themselves. We cannot blame them. The technology that we have at our disposal right now is very tempting for those of us who wish to reclaim our youth, if only in the digital world.
A Photoshopped Mugshot?
Mugshots are not intended to be flattering. However, this person must be so self-conscious about how she looks that she opted to edit her mugshot in Photoshop. Is she proudly showing this off to people?
Perhaps this woman should worry about her future rather than her mugshot photo, but then again, when you do something, do it 100%, right? At least in this respect, the woman hit the mark!
Camera Tricks
It has been said that cameras add a few pounds to the person whose picture was taken. However, in this photo, it seems like the person sheds a few pounds. Whatever happened, she’s still beautiful – with Photoshop or without.
This is proof that everyone aims for perfection. Though she’s already beautiful and shining in this photo, the woman still opted to edit herself until she fit the ideal in her mind’s eye. We hope she comes to see how beautiful she is in her natural state.
Distorting the Colosseum
The famous Colosseum seems to be more like the Leaning Tower of Pisa here. This is because of the effects of the photo editing technology the woman used. Her desire to have a flatter stomach warped the Colosseum itself.
Aside from the Colosseum’s distortion, you can also spot warping in the fence. The sad part is, this would be a beautiful shot if it didn’t have the strange photo edits. Her outfit is on point, her hair looks great, and she has her pose down.
Flying High?
Since the pandemic came into our lives, many of us have been stuck at home for extended periods. We crave travel, especially the thrill of riding in airplanes. That is probably why this woman decided to uplift herself by using Photoshop to place herself on a luxury flight.
Here’s a tip: when editing your photos, kindly do it subtly. This woman used a stock photo, pasted it into her picture, and used it as a background for her airplane scene. This is the most effective way to ensure no one believes you flew anywhere.
Two Ends of the Spectrum
There are some days when we feel like it’s good to slack off rather than to take time for makeup. Luckily, there are programs and apps that will do your makeup for you if you’re indulging in a lazy day.
This woman (Trisha Paytas) looks like she’s occupying both ends of the spectrum with her two different looks. We salute her, though, as it seems like she knows Photoshop so well that it looks just like makeup. Maybe Trisha should start offering Photoshop classes!
Two Kylie(s)?
We now see just how different a person can look when Photoshopped. In the 21st century, posting a photo or selfie without a filter is unusual. Kylie Jenner is famous for having altered her appearance drastically. However, she also uses filters before posting her photos.
Aside from the cosmetics surgery she went through, it’s also an open secret that Kylie uses filters to alter her appearance. Of course, she’s not the only one to do so. The photo on the right was taken during a television show, while the picture on the left was posted on her Instagram. Nonetheless, she’s pretty in both pictures.
Leg Day Today
There are some days when we just want to focus on our lower body when it comes to working out. Some opt to skip their “leg days” so their pins can be skinny, just like a model’s. However, in this picture, it seems that she skipped her leg day and then boosted the results by editing her photo to make her legs look even skinnier.
It’s funny because everyone is aware that this is edited. We all know what legs look like, and if she was really rocking those pins, they wouldn’t be able to support her upper body, especially not her booty, which we think was also edited. The sad part is, she looked wonderful without all that warping.
Uncanny Valley
Though it certainly has creepy vibes, this photo is not for a Halloween celebration. It’s just a plain selfie because she feels like it. However, when you edit an image this much, it just starts to feel inhuman and unsettling. The term for this is the “uncanny valley.”
The image is meant to be a photo, but the woman has edited herself to such an extent that she no longer looks real. She seems more like an automaton or a ghost, highlighting why photo editing apps are so creepy – they remove our humanity.
Anatomically Impossible
Subtle photo editing can make your natural features pop, but take it too far, and no one will believe you. For those parts of your body that you want to enhance, apply the tools as subtly as you can because when you go all the way, it’s definitely too much.
This guy has distorted his body to an extreme level. Take a closer look at his shoulders – they’re the part that gives it away. This is an impossible physique on full display. If he goes to the gym and has abs, why does he need to edit the photo to this extent?
Take a Second Look
At first glance, it seems that there is nothing wrong with this photo. Take a look at the background, however, and it’s extremely distorted. The entire left side looks like it’s about to be sucked into a black hole.
What a pity! It seems that this girl had good intentions, just wanting to enhance her photo. Unfortunately, things quickly got out of hand. We’re certain she looks even better without the wild photo editing.
Must be Legit
Many people believe that having a slim body is important to be accepted in this society, but this is not the case. Anyone who will judge you solely on your body doesn’t have an opinion worth worrying about. The image is another example of editing going too far in the pursuit of extreme ideals.
The woman’s right arm in this photo is too long, while her head is too small. This style of editing is a trend in South Korea due to the specific beauty standards in the country. Of course, extreme photo editing is present in most countries around the world. There are just certain trends that differ from place to place.
Bold Differences
We are not here to make fun of people who edit their photos. On the contrary, we would love to point out how beautiful they look in their unedited photos and how unnecessary the extreme editing is. Of course, a bit of touching up can be enjoyable, but where’s the fun if you no longer look like yourself?
In this case, this woman already looked beautiful without excessive Photoshopping. However, it’s possible that this Photoshopped picture made her feel good about herself since she looks bolder and fiercer. Who are we to judge?
Warped Waistline
This photo is another example of how much we value how we look on social media, especially on Instagram. The picture on the left is the one posted on her social media account. However, the one on the right tells a different story.
As you can see, there’s a huge difference between the two. The photo on the right is obviously a tagged one, which means someone posted it without any filters or edits. It’s evidence that what we see on social media isn’t always true.
A Failed Attempt
Here’s another photo designed to make the woman look curvy. However, the end result just doesn’t look natural. It’s hard to tell whether this comes down to posing, odd angles, photo editing, or a combination of the three.
At least she tried, right? Strange poses aside, it looks like she’s somewhere super cool! Is she boarding a flight? Or perhaps she’s checking into a capsule hotel. It’s hard to say, but she looks happy to be there.
Mommy Long Legs
Daddy Long Legs is a fictional character from the book of the same title (written by Jean Webster). It’s also the name of a kind of spider in Australia. Somehow, we don’t think the long legs in the picture below are natural.
We’re not sure if this is a trick created by the angle of the camera or a Photoshop illusion, but either way, those legs look too distorted to be real. Let’s imagine for a second that they are real. How could she walk? How could her legs support her upper body? The super-long legs just don’t seem to match the rest of her body.
Jaws (Not the Film)
Jaws is one of the most famous thriller movies of all time. However, we’re not here to talk about the classic Spielberg film. No, the jawline we’re interested in is the one belonging to the man in the picture below. What on Earth is going on here?
Of course, his jawline has been edited. The angular sharpness makes us scared for our lives. Aside from the jawline, this man is painfully orange. His skin is so bright it’s hard to look at him. We’d love to see his beautiful face without all that editing.
Warping Reality
At first glance, you wouldn’t see anything wrong with this photo. It’s just a regular picture taken by an event photographer. The problem hits you when you look at the background and start to feel slightly nauseated. The floor and wall behind this woman are warping into her body.
Do you see the way the black and white tiles are pulling up while the red wall is warping back? This is what happens when you pull in your waist in a photo without tracing your body and creating a new layer in Photoshop. Always check what your edits are doing to the background!
Rubber Girl
This is a beautiful picture, perfectly capturing a relaxing moment by the ocean. However, this photo seems like there is something wrong with it. Take a look and see if you can see what we’re talking about.
This woman’s legs seem to be elongated to such a length that it feels more disturbing the longer you look at it. This may not be Photoshop. With some camera lenses, certain angles can produce an elongating effect when you hit a certain angle. Whatever’s going on, it’s unsettling!
Barbie Girl
Every skin tone is beautiful, and you should never feel ashamed about how your skin looks. Sadly, some people just can’t accept what they have right now, resulting in the insatiable desire to digitally enhance their skin until it appears that they don’t have blemishes at all.
Today’s generation needs to start normalizing skin texture Blemishes, acne scars, and even wrinkles are all normal. We are not mannequins – we are humans who age and go through all sorts of highs and lows. We are beautiful without extreme edits.
Best Friends Forever… or Never?
“Best friends forever” poses are well-known. With different antics and poses to engage in, pictures taken with friends are leveling up each time. However, there’s one thing you should never do in a BFF pic: distort your friend’s body to make yours look slimmer.
The photo on the left looks so different from the photo on the right. Of course, they are slightly different photos taken seconds apart, but we don’t think that accounts for the significant differences. What do you think?