An influencer's side-by-side photos show how Instagram posts can be misleading

• Emily Clarkson shares "Instagram versus reality" posts to remind her followers not to believe everything they see on social media.
• Clarkson shows her followers how certain poses, filters, and photo-editing apps can make people look totally different in their photos.
• "If people were told that what they are aspiring to is unobtainable, it might help them to make more peace within their bodies," Clarkson told Insider.

As you scroll through Instagram posts, you believe you're looking at a glimpse into friends and celebrities' actual lives. It's natural to assume the pictures people put on their profiles are what they look like as they walk around every day, but that's often not the case.

Photo-editing software continues to advance, allowing people to totally transform how they look in pictures. But influencers like Emily Clarkson are trying to help people understand that photos on Instagram aren't always what they seem.

Emily Clarkson's 'Instagram versus reality' posts show how filters and poses can alter the way people look in photos

Clarkson, 26, is based in London. She's had a social-media presence since 2016, and she posts fitness and body-positive content for her over 100,000 followers.

Her posts often focus on how people can manipulate their photos to present an altered reality.

She told Insider that she was already struggling with her body image before she got on social media.

"Truthfully, I think the damage that was done to me in terms of my body image and mental health happened before the days of social media, or at least it ran concurrently," Clarkson said.

"The way that the media spoke about women; how the female body was portrayed; the size zero culture; and the days of photoshopping in magazines took its toll," she added. "By the time I started on social media, I was already insecure."

But social media ended up being her outlet. Using her own platforms gave Clarkson the opportunity to take control of the narrative, and she felt empowered to share authentic photos on her page.

In 2016, she started posting "Instagram versus reality" photos, showing her followers how certain poses and makeup can make pictures look vastly different.

"At the beginning, it was a bit tongue in cheek in response to perfect images of supermodels or the Kardashians, but as time has gone on, it's been something I have done in a bid to help women falling down the comparison traps," Clarkson said of her posts.

And as photo editing has advanced, so have Clarkson's cautionary posts.

Today, Clarkson focuses on making her followers aware of the dramatic effects photo editing can have on a picture

Clarkson still shows her followers how certain poses and makeup alter reality, but she mostly focuses on making her followers aware of the dramatic effects photo editing can have on a picture. "I just really want to show women that all they see online isn't real," she told Insider.

Clarkson makes a point of showing her followers that even seemingly harmless filters that exist within the Instagram app can be dangerous.

"The problem with filters, to my mind, is that there is such an array of them and they all do different things," she said. "At the softer end of the spectrum, there is the 'Paris' filter," she gave as an example. The filter is built into Instagram's story function.

"I think that although this might be considered insubstantial and comparatively harmless, it's actually doing a great amount of damage," Clarkson said. "It totally smooths out a person's skin, so that as we are both creating and consuming content, we are doing so without seeing any real skin texture."

"When we go to look at our own reflection at the end of the day, we may not like our pores, lines, and spots," she said. "The beautiful things that make us humans, we don't recognize anymore."

Clarkson is also concerned about apps like FaceTune, FaceApp, and Photable, where people can drastically change their appearance. People can make themselves look thinner, get rid of blemishes, and even make it look like they have abs using the apps.

Clarkson thinks awareness of photo-editing tactics is even more important since people have been spending so much time at home in 2020

"We are spending so much time online, and really, there isn't anyone policing it all," Clarkson said. "Particularly in the current climate, many of us are seeing much more of our friends online than in real life."

"If they are only providing a certain image of themselves, it's not a surprise if we then end up comparing ourselves and finding that we can't match up," she said. "We have access to anyone. We are consuming more content than we realize, and we have no way of telling what is even real."

In Clarkson's opinion, having a better awareness of the falsities that are presented on social media can help people's mental health.

"There are young women all over the world who are trying to alter their bodies, whether through diet or surgery, in order to look like the women they see on the internet," Clarkson said. "If women were told that what they are aspiring to is unobtainable, it might help them to make more peace within their bodies."

The most rewarding part of Clarkson's work is the positive relationship she has with her followers

Clarkson told Insider that her work has allowed her to feel better about herself.

"I've just been able to make a career out of being myself, and in turn, I've been able to celebrate not conforming to the pressures that might otherwise be on me in this space," Clarkson said. "I no longer feel I have to be a certain size or look a certain way in order to live."

But the most rewarding part of her work is the positive relationship she has with her followers. "I do try to share content that is just me, and if it makes anyone feel better about themselves, that's all I could hope for," she told Insider.

"Honestly, nothing matches hearing from parents telling me that they are now better aware of what their children are going through," Clarkson said.

Clarkson's biggest piece of advice to people as they use social media is to not compare themselves to others, despite the negative messages they might see online.

"Comparison is the thief of joy," she said. "We've grown up surrounded by such negative self-talk. It's no wonder, really, that we all struggle to like our own bodies."

"Taking time to make some peace with yourself and learning that you are a little miracle and that no one has the right to make you feel less than that is vital," she added. "Follow people that inspire you and be kind to yourself."

You can follow Clarkson on Instagram here.

• Read more:
• A woman's side-by-side images show the reality behind the 'perfect' Instagram photo
• A bodybuilder showed how fitness influencers can make their bodies look Instagram-perfect in before-and-after photos
• 8 influencers whose side-by-side photos prove Instagram isn't real life
• Side-by-side images show the lengths people go to for the perfect picture