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An influencer has been praised after sharing a shocking look at the difference between posed, edited and natural images.
Danae Mercer Ricci, who is from California but lives in Florence, has amassed 2.3 million followers on her Instagram @danaemercer, where she advocates for body positivity.
Danae, who welcomed her first child last month, recently shared an insight into how images can be digitally altered on social media, and the difference is incredible.
Posing in a blue tracksuit, she showed off her body in its relaxed, non-posing form.
She then showed a carefully posed photo that appeared to have been taken moments later, where her legs are spread apart and her hand is on her head, appearing to sketch her stomach.
Danae Mercer Ricci, who is from California but lives in Florence, has been praised after sharing a powerful look at the difference between posed, edited and candid photography.
Finally, she showed off an edited version of the photo that she posed with subtle adjustments including lightened hair, a smaller waist, smoother skin and brighter eyes, as well as a narrower face.
Wearing the same outfit, she sat next to her bed and took a selfie in the mirror, showing the candid photo alongside a series of digitally altered photos.
She captioned the post saying, “Only one of these is real.”
In another post, he wore a casual tracksuit and smiled for the camera, without posing.
Alongside this, he placed a posed shot and shows how the placement of his legs seems to completely change the shape of his body.
Later, Danae posed in a bra and shorts, showing how moving her legs and drawing on her stomach can give her a completely different shape.
Finally, she sat down on the floor and lowered the waistband of her leggings, revealing her bulging belly.
The influencer is on a mission to show the reality behind her handpicked social media snaps and encourages her followers to embrace her natural look.
Danae, who welcomed her first child last month, recently shared an insight into how images can be digitally altered on social media, and the difference is incredible.
Posing in a blue sports outfit, she showed off her body in its relaxed, unposed form and a carefully posed image where her legs were spread apart and her hand on her head, appearing to sketch her stomach.
She has amassed a following of 2.3 million followers on her Instagram @danaemercer, where she is an advocate for body positivity.
Danae welcomed her first child last month, but shared her entire pregnancy journey with her followers online.
Danae posed outside the hospital’s maternity ward before giving birth to her first child.
The popular post racked up more than 75,000 likes and Danae captioned it: “When I was recovering from my eating disorder, my therapist recommended something I still do today:
‘Every time I put on lotion, I have to say kind things to my body. He felt foolish then. He still feels a bit silly now. but it helps
‘Because the words we say to ourselves form paths, like little paths in our mind. And over time, those paths become stronger, more concrete, easier to walk.
‘When it comes to self-love, we often have to create new routes, build new bridges. So we started small. We start with positive words.
Danae also shared insight into how her body was changing during her pregnancy with stretch marks.
Wearing the same outfit, she sat next to her bed and took a selfie in the mirror, showing the candid photo alongside a series of digitally altered photos.
The influencer is on a mission to show the reality behind her handpicked social media snaps and encourages her followers to embrace her natural look.
‘I’ve been doing this lately, quite deliberately. Because my body has changed a lot. And it’s important to me that you treat it with care.
So I take my tummy and say ‘mighty’, ‘strong’ and ‘home’. I touch my thighs and think ‘capable’ and ‘supportive’.
‘I focus on self-love. And today, maybe this little post will help you remember to also focus on self-love. Even if it feels a bit silly, even if you’re not sure it’ll work.
‘Because over time, words become habits, and you, dear soul, deserve a kindness to yourself that feels natural. You deserve all the kind words in the world. Your body does too.
The mom’s followers flooded the comments with praise and thanked her for her honesty.
One user said: ‘You look plastic in the edit! Thank you for showing all this and being vulnerable with us. It’s amazing how our society is working to shape this as our future. I have a nine year old son and to see the AI image becoming what they want is crazy.
‘Thank you for showing a real body after pregnancy. It helps a lot and you’re beautiful’ another fan said.
Danae documented her pregnancy journey with her followers and shared snaps of her growing belly online.
The mother also discusses the swelling on her Instagram page, telling the woman that it is normal.
Another person added: ‘My insides just cried reading those words ‘strong’ and ‘capable.’ Yes we are, and we need those reminders.
“We have to give it to you, although you sure know how to pose,” another fan joked.
Someone else commented, “I think marketing companies should look at these things. I’d rather buy things with a lot of model body types.”
One person said: ‘I do this! I also practice talking nice to myself when I take a bath, a bit awkward but definitely helps.’
‘Functionality over aesthetics any day. Our bodies are tools, not ornaments,” another fan agreed.
Danae posed by a storm pool in a colorful pastel bikini showing off her toned midriff.
The new mother smiled for a moment as she was in the hospital preparing to give birth to her baby girl Aurora.
Someone else commented: ‘That’s really inspiring, I sure need to start doing this too! Sometimes we give ourselves a hard time, but in the end, our bodies are amazing! Thanks for sharing!’
What good advice. I used to think really negative things when I was working out… A girlfriend noticed and caught my eye. Since then I started saying positive things. At first, like you said, it sounded insincere or silly, but now it feels more honest and empowering!’ wrote one viewer.
Another user said: ‘Not dumb at all. It is empowering and liberating to be kind to our bodies in a world/society that thrives on us hating ourselves so much that we will pay for anything and do anything to carve/sculpt ourselves into ‘acceptable’ versions…’