Online Selves Vs. Real Selves: Mum Shares ‘Behind the Scenes’ Photo to Show Reality

By Hannah Schenker

We all know it: what gets shared visually of ourselves on our social media platforms is usually the result of many photographic attempts and filter tweaks, until we are happy with how we look. But we know. We know that the reality can look quite different. Tova Leigh is pretty well-known in the internet world for sharing her parenting experiences via Facebook and Instagram. But in a recent post she focussed the lens on herself in a new way – sharing how she really looks, as opposed to what she usually shares of herself online.

Last week I shared the “perfect” selfie on Instagram (see small image on the bottom left). It got a whole lot of “likes”, friends told me I was sexy and I even made it my new profile picture on Facebook. Today I am sharing the ‘behind the scenes’ of that image. How I actually looked when it was taken, without 20 attempts to get it right, without cropping out the bits I don’t like and without adding the ‘make me look pretty’ filter. You see, over in the weekend I read an article about how more and more people are feeling deprest and insecure because of all the images of “perfect” looking people on social media, which they perceive to be real. Well let me tell you something: THIS IS REAL. In all my mum tum, cellulitis, granny pants and absolutely zero thigh gap glory! Not the perfect sexy body by some dictated standard, but imperfectly fabulous because it is real and it is mine. So next time you see a “perfect” image on IG or FB that makes you feel bad remember this: Social media is full of shit. You are beautiful just the way you are. And there is nothing sexier than being real. Tova ♡♡♡ #KeepingItReal #women #fuckbodygoals #BodyImage #moms #mums #motherhood #MomLife #parenting #parents #reallife

A post shared by Tova Leigh (@tova_leigh) on

She mentions a photo she shared of herself online a week previously, an image deemed sexy by some, which focuses entirely on a close-up of her beautiful face and hair, in which she discusses the ridiculousness of things like corsets and women’s body image.

She gained plenty of compliments on it, but following that, she read an article about how depressed people can get after seeing the unrealistic and perfectly edited versions of others online, she decided she wanted to share the rest of her, the real her, to talk about what being sexy really means for her.

“Today I am sharing the ‘behind the scenes’ of that image,” she said.”How I actually looked when it was taken, without 20 attempts to get it right, without cropping out the bits I don’t like and without adding the ‘make me look pretty’ filter.”

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