Have you ever looked at your favorite influencer's image feed and wondered why you don't have their seemingly perfect body? You've followed their workout routine precisely and replicated their 'what I eat in a day' video, and you're not seeing the results you dreamed of? Do not fret because this influencer is here to show us it's all smoke and mirrors, a little angle, and light magic, making influencers look a lot different online than in real life. Sara Puhto, a 25-year-old influencer from Finland who holds the Instagram handle @saggysara, has had enough of the lies and, in an attempt to make us all feel a little bit better about ourselves, is here to reveal how it's done...
To the delight of her 412,000 followers, Sara removed the filters and uploaded a string of posts showing the different techniques available to make a body look different online. Although the influencer now boasts an incredibly body-positive message, this was not always the case. After setting up her account in 2015, the star made a name for herself as a fitness influencer, posting images of her flexed muscles and strict diet regime. Slowly, she realized that her followers were unaware of the tricks behind the photos and felt it was her duty to tell the truth.
Talking to Insider, the young influencer explained the rationale behind her latest commitment to keep things real online. "I noticed that my body didn't look like this 24/7 and decided to share my thoughts and what I really looked like most of the time." Sara then explained that after feeling bad about herself when she looked at other influencers, she realized she might be having this effect on her own followers. Deciding to make a change to her online persona, she rebranded her account as a place for body positivity.
With the Instagram bio, "learn how to grow your body acceptance & self-acceptance; your body isn't a trend, so don't treat it like one!" she now regularly uploads pictures that clearly show the before and after effects of sucking in her stomach and good lighting. Her goal is to normalize people not being 'Instagram ready' all the time. Based on the likes, comments, and followers, she seems to be onto something...
