An influencer denied accusations that she edited her post-pregnancy 'transformation' pictures: 'I've been the most vulnerable I've ever been'

• Ruby Tuesday Matthews said she took part in an eight-week fitness challenge after giving birth.
• Commenters accused Matthews of Photoshopping images of her results, which she posted on Instagram.

An Australian influencer has denied accusations that she Photoshopped images of her body before and after a fitness challenge she said she took part in postpartum.

Ruby Tuesday Matthews, who is based in Byron Bay, New South Wales, gave birth to her daughter Holiday on September 20, according to an Instagram post announcing the arrival. On January 15, she said that she took part in an eight-week health and fitness challenge after her obstetrician gave her the green light, sharing her results in an Instagram post.

"I suffered so badly with depression and anxiety during this pregnancy," she captioned the clip, which included a video of her posing in a mirror, and images that appeared to show her body before and after she completed the challenge, adding, "I literally showed up every day of this transformation. I held myself accountable and I have never felt stronger or more focused!"

Matthews said in her caption that she did not want to share how much weight she lost during the challenge, but she encouraged her followers to try the program which offers 28-minute at-home workouts hosted by a Queensland-based fitness instruction company called FitazFK. The program offers four levels, including a postpartum option, based on the person's fitness. Matthews said she had completed level one and that she was planning to move on to level two — each program is priced at $93, or $156 including equipment.

Matthews did not specify what her relationship to the company was, but she offered viewers a discount code for joining, which sometimes indicates that an influencer is being paid a commission for each person that uses the code.

Some commenters under Matthews' post were supportive and complimented her on her results, but a number suggested they thought one of the photos she shared was edited to make her waist look bigger and to enhance the difference between the "before" and "after" photos. They pointed to the door that was behind the influencer in her "before" image, which appeared to curve outwards behind where her hip area was — a warped background on an image is often a sign that it has been manipulated.

Later that same day, Matthews posted a video on her Instagram story, which has since expired but was seen by Insider, saying that the apparent curve on the image was from a towel that was hanging on the door and that protruded outwards to make the door appear warped.

"There are towels that hang behind my door 24/7. It's a white towel. Whatever, I'm not even going to explain myself, because the funniest part is, they don't think I've Photoshopped the thinner image of myself, they think I've tried to make myself bigger," she said in the clip.

"Do you know the guts it takes to post a before and after picture when you're the heaviest you've ever been, right after you've had a baby?" she added.

Matthews then shared a screen recording of her camera roll in an Instagram story that was seen by Insider, which appeared to show more images of herself from the same time period, taken from various angles.

"To all you horrible women trying to take away what I achieved and say have photoshopped an image when I've been the most vulnerable I've ever been with sharing images of myself after having a baby. Fuck you..." an on-screen caption the story read.

Aaron Fitaz Mcallister, a co-owner of FitazFK, also responded to accusations made against the influencer in a video on his Instagram page.

"This is super, super disappointing that someone who has put their hard yards in, who has done the work, has to do that and then to have that turned against them as if they edit their photo," he said, adding, "I just want to urge all the women out there to support each other no matter what shape or how they look, etc. I really hope that this can be a sign that we need more love and less criticism in the world."

In a statement given to Insider, a representative for FitazFK said: "As a brand that strives to empower women no matter what, we would never condone the editing of any of our ambassadors transformation photos. We support all of our ambassadors in their transformation journey, and we urge the public to understand that everyone is different, and everyone's body reacts differently to exercise and nutrition."

More recent comments under Matthews' Instagram post, which were posted after the influencer made a statement on her Instagram story, expressed agreement with her criticism of negative comments.

"Stop jumping on the bandwagon of conclusions when someone is sharing a vulnerability please! It's really sad to see to how quick people are to voice nasty comments. You look incredible Ruby," wrote one commenter.

Matthews has 237,000 followers on Instagram, where she typically posts photos of her youngest child Holiday and her two sons, named Rocket and Mars, as well as beauty and fashion content.

Aaron Fitaz Mcallister and representatives for Matthews did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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