This Instagram star has got real about the problematic way women view themselves

3rd Aug 17 | Lifestyle

"We really need to learn not to be so harsh on ourselves," says Louise Aubery.

Lifestyle

Raise your hand if you’ve ever looked at a perfectly nice photo of yourself and then wished you looked a bit different.

Compare this to how quick you are to compliment snaps of other people. This raises the question: Why are we so critical about ourselves?

French Instagram fitness blogger Louise Aubery (who’s page “My Better Self” has more than 50,000 followers) has realised just how toxic an attitude this is, and she’s tackling the issue head on.

⚡️ I am guilty. I am here to always be completely honest, because I feel social medias need more of it. | As much as I preach self love and truly made some progress accepting myself, there is something I really struggle with : pictures 👀 Whenever I see a picture of me, the first things which catches my eyes are my FLAWS. I always see what is wrong. "Too close". "My nose appears too big." "My legs look too white". "I look terrible" This is usually what follows when someone show me a picture they took of me 🤔 YET, I really do not look at people's flaws first when I look at a picture of someone else ! On the contrary, I tend to focus on their assets ❗️So why not do the same with yourself ? We really need to learn not to be so harsh on ourselves. It is not healthy. I am going to work on it, and I hope you will too. 💛 _____________________________________ ⚡️ Je plaide coupable. Vous savez que l'honnêteté est une valeur que je chérie; et je trouve que ca manque sur les réseaux sociaux. | Malgré que je prêche l'acceptance et l'amour de soi et que j'ai fait de réels progrès sur le sujet, il y a quelque chose avec lequel j'ai toujours beaucoup de mal : les photos 👀 A chaque fois que je vois une photo de moi, tout ce que je vois en premier sont mes défauts. Je vois toujours ce qui ne va PAS. "Trop proche" "Mon nez paraît trop gros" "J'ai l'air trop blanche" "Supprime" : ce sont généralement mes premières réactions après avoir vu une photo de moi 🤔 Pourtant, ce n'est pas du tout comme ça que je réagis quand je vois une photo de quelqu'un d'autre ! Au contraire, j'ai plutôt tendance à voir leurs atouts ❗️Alors pourquoi je l'applique-t-on pas à nous-même ? On doit vraiment apprendre à ne pas être aussi dur envers soi-même. Ce n'est pas sain. Je vais travailler dessus, et j'espère que vous aussi. 💛

A post shared by Louise| PARIS |Thinker & Maker (@mybetter_self) on

Louise posted the same two pictures of herself side-by-side, showing the difference between how we see other people, compared to how we view ourselves.

If you look at the first photo, you see a beautiful, healthy and happy woman. But Louise says that this isn’t what she thinks. “Whenever I see a picture of me, the first things which catches my eyes are my FLAWS,” she writes.

Louise is calling herself out for being too harsh on herself, which is at odds with her positive outlook on other people. She writes: “I really do not look at people’s flaws first when I look at a picture of someone else! On the contrary, I tend to focus on their assets.”

Raise your hand if you are guilty of always wanting to show yourself from your best angle 🙈 It is perfectly normal. We aren't on Instagram to look for ugly faces to admire all day long 😂 Yet, I am not here to pretend to be someone I'm not. I'm human. Yes, I work hard at the gym; and I'm proud of the fruits of my labour. I love to share with you my progress. But it also includes to my opinion showing you I don't walk around with abs 24/7, and that you should not let yourself down after seeing hot women all over Instagram. Picture them going to the toilets. You'll feel better afterwards 🙃💛 ____________________________________ Levez la main si vous êtes coupable de toujours vouloir vous montrer sous votre meilleur angle 🙈 C'est tout à fait normal. On est pas sur Insta pour aller rechercher des têtes moches à admirer sur notre feed 😂 Mais je ne suis pas là non plus pour prétendre être quelqu'un que je ne suis pas. Oui; je m'entraîne dur à la salle; et je suis fière des fruits de mon travail. J'aime partager avec vous mes progrès. Mais cela implique aussi vous montrer que je ne me balade pas avec des abdos 24/24, et que vous ne devriez pas vous sentir abattue après avoir stalké des filles trop hot sur Instagram. Imaginez les aux toilettes. Vous devriez vous sentir mieux après 🙃❤️

A post shared by Louise| PARIS |Thinker & Maker (@mybetter_self) on

This kind of attitude is hugely problematic for body image and self-esteem, so Louise is proposing a little bit more self-love. “We really need to learn not to be so harsh on ourselves. It is not healthy,” she writes. “I am going to work on it, and I hope you will too.”

Being kinder to yourself sometimes isn’t an easy task, but it’s definitely one worth trying.

© Press Association 2017

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