Iskra Lawrence Modeled 7 Poses That Show Instagram Is Often Just an Illusion

She's learned a thing or two in 14 years of modeling.
Model Iskra Lawrence
Instagram.com/Iskra

Model Iskra Lawrence is all about promoting body positivity and encouraging people to be less critical of themselves. Her latest Instagram post is no exception. In the post, Lawrence showcases some common modeling poses that prove how radically different minor positioning tweaks can make someone's body look.

"I'm super excited to share this with you," she wrote in her Instagram caption, explaining that the project was in collaboration with Elle and YouTube. "I myself still pose and there's nothing wrong with moving your body in ways you feel most comfortable or confident but let's be honest and show the actual process." Lawrence went on to explain that in 14 years of modeling, she's picked up on some common poses that can drastically change how her body looks on camera.

The poses include moves like lifting her chest to make her stomach look flatter, popping her hip to make her butt look larger, moving her elbow back to make her arm look smaller, tilting her pelvis backwards to create the illusion of a space between her thighs, and putting her tongue on the roof of her mouth to "lift" her chin. Lawrence also stressed that factors such as good lighting and digital retouching can also make a tremendous difference in photos—though she herself takes a stand against retouching in general.

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As Lawrence noted, there's absolutely nothing wrong with anyone taking photos that make them feel beautiful—but things get trickier when there's a ton of pressure to be effortlessly perfect every time you post to social media.

Thankfully, Lawrence is only one of many voices disclosing the secrets behind the seemingly perfect photos that likely populate your Instagram feed. Fitness blogger Anna Victoria has shared how the appearance of cellulite often just comes down to lighting. Self-love Instagrammer Kate Speer posted a video of her body jiggling as proof of how normal it is for bodies to, you know, move as you go throughout life. Body-positive Instagrammer Milly Smith showed how a simple pair of tights can make her midsection seem like something it's not. And tons of users have posted "5-second transformations" just to hammer home the point that while social media can be fun and freeing, it can also be completely misleading.

"I don't want you to ever feel like you have to be perfect," Lawrence explained in the video accompanying her Instagram post. "You're already imperfectly perfect, and that's good enough."

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