I’m not exactly the hugest Lady Gaga fan-girl, but earlier this week, she did something pretty cool. After her cover photo from “Glamour” was released, she made a public statement that the image of her was unrealistic and that she doesn’t really look like that when she wakes up in the morning. She even went so far as to point out that spreading unrealistic images of women around is pretty crap for the overall self-confidence of everyone who looks at them. And you know what, she is freaking right.
It’s no cover of Glamour Magazine, but when my pics from the NY Fashion Week Oiselle Runway show were posted, a lot of people commented that it was pretty crazy to have my body change that much in three months. And yeah, it was a little crazy but in real life, people don’t walk around spray tanned and flexed. Out of the thousands of photos taken at the runway show after all that tanning and primping and posture-holding, one or two of them looked good. A lot of them looked pretty gnarly. Weird facial expressions, lumpy bits, zombie walks…but nobody would ever know…
So in the spirit of Lady Gaga, I want to post some pictures that were taken the same week as the Runway Show, in much less flattering positions. Who needs “Us Weekly” to capture unflattering images when you can post them on the internet yourself!
For comparison, Runway Shot first:
Cropped parts of photos taken later that week.
This is what I looked like with my belly not turbo-flexed and sucked in:
This is my actual posture when I’m not on stage:
This is what my inner thigh looks like when I squeeze it (not recommended):
So there you go. Never take the photos you see on magazine covers or online too seriously. Everyone has thigh cheese. It’s part of life. Nobody is perfect. 
xx
Lauren
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Update 1/26/14
A few commenters below are skeptical of my photos because of my weird belly button. When I suck in, it’s an innie. When I relax and let my belly hang out, it’s an outie. It was my “stupid human trick” for cross country camp. Truly a gift. A few pics to illustrate are below. As for the truly cynical, all I can say is my words are true. Thanks to everyone for your comments and encouragement, and even the couple of you who posted your own pics online to #keepitreal!
I just came across this, and…Wow. Great reveal. Just this morning I made note of my pouchy belly and realized that I’d now love the belly I berated myself over just a few years ago when I was a strong triathlete and really looked great. And now I’m still a strong triathlete and look great – but I emit sighs of disgust daily at my saggy belly and larger body. And now I just learned that those ripped abs in photos are sucked in! Wish I’d known sooner – Thanks, though! I appreciate the info now. To be shared with my nieces…
Its a good trick to remember the next time I am taking a photo in a swimsuit : ). I admire the honesty behind this post and love the message it sends.
Thanks.
This is such an awesome share! Thank You Thank You Thank You. As all of us keep at our individual fitness journeys day in and day out…at the same time struggle with what we are aspiring to in terms of our bodies and the image we want it to be which is an ever moving target. And yes seeing sleek muscular fat-less bodies day in and day out in the media can be quite disheartening…so Thank You again!
Awanti
35
Bangalore, India
You’re welcome Awanti! Thanks for commenting!
You had me from that post! I am now a loyal fan.
thanks for your honesty, amazing and hilarious advise and yummy running bars!
Hi Lauren! You’re truly an incredible role model! I love all of your articles and I’m a big fan. Thank you for inspiring women all over the world, including me; someone who has never felt comfortable in her own skin.
Thanks for this!! As a 48 year old who has never appreciated my body (even 20 yrs ago pre-kids when in retrospect I looked pretty hot -lol) and is very frustrated now with a slower metabolism and who needs to wear spanx almost daily to hide the rolls, this is much-needed!! As I try desperately through different exercise regimes–jazzercize, hot yoga, the gym, barre workouts and now running–to get closer to how I looked before I had kids, it’s so nice to realize that even when someone looks fabulous in a photo, the reality looks closer to my reality!
I appreciate your honesty Lauren about your body image. I”m a 38 year old mom of 2 and I’ve been running since I was 10 years old. I’ve always had strong muscle in my legs, arms, and stomach. However, I’ve never been able to achieve the kind of flat stomach your pictures show. Or most models boast. Not even if I suck in. I’m 5′ 2″, 110 lbs. Pregnancy with my second child made my abs split to allow for her to grow. She was a whole pound bigger than my first. After pregnancy I had to work very hard at pulling my abs back together. I even got down to 99 lbs at one point and my stomach still maintained a little pouch or strenched skin. I struggle with the image of my stomach. I’ve had to teach myslef over the years to try to find other parts of my body I do like. It’s not easy especially when I see women who have model flat stomachs after 4 kids and never work out. I do realize that good genes play a huge role in this. What I want to teach my daughter is that I run because it keeps me healthy and is a stress reliever. Not to run to get a model body.