Refreshing honesty! The new photo trend with the stretch marks

It has become commonplace for major social media platforms to be flooded with images of women flaunting their absolute flawlessness, to the point where one might think that perfect looks have become the new standard. Amidst the eye-poppingly perfect staging of tanned bodies with flat bellies, big breasts and wrinkle-free faces, it's increasingly difficult to maintain a sense of reality, which is compromised by the omnipresence of Photoshopped images. All the more welcome is a photo posted on Instagram of model Chrissy Teigen showing her legs in the flesh with bruises and Stretch marks shows. What followed was not to be expected in this dimension.

Wear stretch marks with pride

Women around the globe were encouraged by the famous beauty's move to do the same and show off their bodies in all their naturalness under the hashtags #LoveYourLines and #TakeBackPostpartum without letting the illusory world of social networks get the better of them. In March, Rachel Hollis, a well-known blogger on the web, also joined the trend for the new frankness and put out an inspiring post that spread like wildfire. In her surprisingly candid post, she puts out that she never imagined having stretch marks or a drooping belly button at some point in her life before. Instead of being saddened by this, she aggressively forges ahead and affirms that following her pregnancies, she did everything she could to get her athletic figure back, even though she knew that at least some marks would remain. Furthermore, she encourages the mothers of the world not to see their stretch marks as a mark of shame, but rather as a distinction that can definitely be proudly presented in a bikini.

Courage to be natural

Behavioral psychologists like Ivanka Prichard welcome this trend as an extremely positive development in social media, which are classically dominated by optimized photos and profiles. The Australian scientist justifies her attitude by saying that the trend toward naturalness makes it easier for women to be satisfied with themselves and their bodies, since they are no longer constantly confronted with artificial ideals that are sometimes impossible to achieve without technical aids. According to Prichard, this not only boosts women's self-confidence, but also increases their motivation to continue to train hard and work for their own goals. Emma Halliwell of the University of the West of England agrees. However, she also affirms that it is not enough to run after such a trend, but that with regard to self-portrayal in general, a rethink should take place in the world of the Internet. Of course, we want to look as good as possible in every photo we publish, but that doesn't mean it has to look like something from a fashion magazine. Rather, it is advisable if we show more courage to be natural and present ourselves as honestly and authentically as we are, even in social media.