Why I WANT You to See My Unedited Photos

This past month, I had the great opportunity of partnering up with one of my closest friends, Megan Chan of Mechan Photography, for a new photoshoot. The images that I shared yesterday were perfect and flawless and I was SO proud of them. But there's something that you need to see... 

We had a shoot last November, almost one year ago, and it produced some great photos. I was 9 months postpartum, but not totally where I wanted to be-so I pushed harder and told myself that I wanted to look even better for my next shoot! And I did it!

But, as perfect and flawless as I looked in my newer images, I need to let you in on a little secret-the photos were photoshopped-just as any fitness shoot normally is. It is part of the editing process of photography. They literally can take away any scars, wrinkles, marks, and even make you (GASP!) tinier. I remember watching one video on YouTube of how they Photoshopped this chick into a slice of pizza. Pretty, weird.

The point is this: I WANT you to see my unedited pictures and my edited pictures side-by-side. I WANT you to know that I am NOT perfect. 

Why? 

Because I don't want you lookng at my edited pictures WISHING you could look just like that. Now, I am not saying that my edited photos are all lies-I worked my ass off for 8 months and started lifting heavier and my body did transform, but my body is still a work in progress-and it will always be. I am not perfect, ladies, and I will never be perfect. But you need to realize just how easy it is to manipulate an image to perfection. Even the background can be changed!

I gotta admit that I am a little nervous about releasing these unedited photos because, yes, even I have my own insecurities. I have cellulite. I have hips. I have scars. But so does everyone else on the planet. I love you ladies and I want you to know that I am not some superfreak of a human. I don't want to do a disservice to you by only showing my good shots. 

I AM JUST LIKE YOU.

I really hope that you will share this post on social media to let others see just how easy it is to Photoshop a photo. I want to spread the word so that women will stop looking at fitness models as if they are perfect and flawless because we are NOT!

Here are my unedited vs. edited photos side-by-side. Please remember that you ARE good enough and that you are beautiful. There ain't no amount of Photoshop in this world that can replace inner beauty.