Keeping it Real.
by lauren fleshman
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
November 13, 2013
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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!
http://asklaurenfleshman.com/2013/11/keeping-it-real/
