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!
This is a fantastic movement and I love that everyone is joining in and taking steps showing how we truly look vs the doctored photos..
This is such a huge step in reversing the trend towards driving ourselves into the ground trying to reach the perfect figure and that image in our minds truly doesn’t exist anyway..
Congratulations! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this exciting information.
Lauren! LOVE the keeping it real mind set. . . btw. . has anyone ever told you that you’re quite the writer? I laughed many times reading about your birth experience. . . and yes, don’t we love our mothers so much more now.. .what a beautiful gift children are!
Hi Lauren – The sun’s not up, my two kiddos are still sleeping, and I’m in tears after viewing your post and the RW submitted photos. I struggle so much everyday with my body and have since high school. When I became pregnant with my first child five years ago I vowed I would stop being bulimic and would never complain about my body in front of my children the way my mother did while I was growing up. We would be walking behind other women and she would ask me “Are my legs that fat?” Constantly. And in my head I do it to this day, every day. And I am not fat. I’m a size 2. But my body, notably my stomach, didn’t “bounce” back after the birth of my daughter three years ago like it did after the birth of my son. With my son, I lost all the weight in a year, had a washboard stomach and ran my first race a few months post partum. With my daughter, I now have extra belly skin that, when I bend over to I shave my legs in the shower for example, is so lose and wrinkled and saggy that I now understand why women go under the knife in their quest for beauty – a concept that utterly defies the body confidence and acceptance and natural approach to life that am determined to impart to my children. It’s left me ashamed. It’s left me feeling old, haggared and unattractive. It’s skin ! It’s skin that craddled two absolutely precious and beautiful creatures during pregnancies that I cherished. And now I resent it?!? There’s something wrong here.
Thank you! Yes, like your running partner said, women appreciate this. I absolutely needed this and when I’m tying my running shoes at the next starting line and I think twice about forgoing a tank over my sports bra, I’ll convert that doubt to confidence and fuel my race! As my little ones like to shout “Go! Mama Go!”
Women, and especially young girls, NEED to see pictures of actual people, rather than photo-shopped and dehydrated models in the media. But they don’t. We’re all trapped thinking that these models are how you can and should look. I got trapped too, and it’s affected my health, my happiness and my self confidence in HUGE ways. I’m slowly trying get over comparing myself to these models. I’m trying to love my body more and more everyday. Articles like this help A LOT.
I love that you posted your own photos to show a comparison! Also, thigh cheese?! hahahahaha
You are brave and gorgeous. I read recently, for every time you moan about your stretch marks, there are a thousand women wishing they had them too. Our bodies are miraculous and I wish I had known that long before it dawned on me, after two children and taking up running in my forties.
You have LITERALLY set me free with this. I will be forever in your debt!!! Real women. Real bodies!
Hi, i’m an elite athlete and so is my sister in the sport of judo. My sister is really skinny and has a six pack. because i have been out for a while with an injury i have gained weight and now I have quite a lot of fat and i don’t have a six pack anymore. i was wondering whats your trick for getting back ab’s and a skinny stomach.