Woman Photoshops Herself To Have The ‘Ideal’ Body Throughout History


One of the issues that many of us must face regularly is the way that society looks at us as individuals. That is especially true as far as women’s bodies are concerned, and they look at them more like a fashion statement than they should. That is where fitness blogger and instructor Cassey Ho comes in. She decided to take on this trend by editing digital images and sharing them online. She wanted to depict her own body as the ideal body type for different time periods through history.

Since Ho works as a fitness instructor, she realized that people had to deal with body image issues on a regular basis. It inspired her to move forward with this project.

“I see a lot of my real-life students struggling to love their bodies because of the way beautiful bodies are portrayed in the media,” Ho told INSIDER.

She also said that she has been targeted by Internet trolls who say that she has too much body fat to be a fitness instructor. Those trolls say that she must lose weight if she cares about her career. Ho says: “Those comments ignore my years of experience as a certified fitness trainer.”

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If I had the “perfect” body throughout history, this is what I’d look like. . Mid 2010s-2018 – Big butts, wide hips, tiny waists, and full lips are in! There is a huge surge in plastic surgery for butt implants thanks to Instagram models posting “belfies”. ???? Even cosmetic surgery doctors have become IG-famous for reshaping women. Between 2012-2014, butt implants and injections rise by 58%. . Mid 90s-2000s – Big boobs, flat stomachs, and thighs gaps are in. In 2010, breast augmentation is the highest performed cosmetic surgery in the United States. ???? It’s the age of the Victoria’s Secret Angel. She’s tall, thin, and she’s always got long legs and a full chest. . Early 90s – THIN IS IN. Having angular bone structure, looking emaciated, and super skinny is what’s dominating the runways and the magazine covers. There’s even a name for it: “heroin chic”. . 1950s – The hourglass shape is in. ⏳ Elizabeth Taylor‘s 36-21-36 measurements are the ideal. Marilyn Monroe’s soft voluptuousness is lusted after. Women are advertised weight gaining pills to fill themselves out. Playboy magazine and Barbie are created in this decade. . 1920s – Appearing boyish, androgynous and youthful, with minimal breasts, and a straight figure is in! Unlike the “Gibson Girl” of the Victorian Era, women are choosing to hide their curves, and are doing so by binding their chests with strips of cloth to create that straight figure suitable for flapper dresses. . 1400-1700 The Italian Renaissance – Looking full with a rounded stomach, large hips, and an ample bosom is in. Being well fed is a sign of wealth and status. Only the poor are thin. . Why do we treat our bodies like we treat fashion? “Boobs are out! Butts are in!” Well, the reality is, manufacturing our bodies is a lot more dangerous than manufacturing clothes. Stop throwing your body out like it’s fast fashion. . Please treat your body with love & respect and do not succumb to the beauty standard. Embrace your body because it is YOUR own perfect body. ♥️ #blogilates #theperfectbody

A post shared by Cassey Ho (@blogilates) on

In her post to Instagram, Ho uses her own body to Photoshop the ideal body for the different time periods. They include the 1400s, 1920s, 1950s, 1990s, 2000s, and current day. You will be surprised to see that the body types are quite different from each other. For example, a larger derrière and smaller waist is considered to be ‘perfect’ today but in the 1990s, it was all about being super thin.

“I did this to see how ridiculous all of these [bodies] look on a single person, how weird it would be for a woman to keep changing her body to fit in,” Ho told INSIDER.

The next day, Ho shared an additional picture on Instagram. This time, it was her real body.

The transformation photo that she posted has gotten over 120,000 likes and growing. An additional side-by-side image was posted to make the point solid. At this time, an image was shown that was not altered at all by Photoshop. The caption for that ‘real’ image read: “the perfect body = the real me”

She was concerned that the Photoshop experiment would cause her to be overly concerned about her own body. In reality, the opposite took place: “As obvious as it is to say this, I didn’t look like myself in the photos. I actually much prefer my body just as it is,” she wrote on Instagram.

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Real me today, 2018. . You know, this project was so interesting to me because as I was looking at myself getting photoshopped, I thought that I might secretly like one of the results. But the super odd thing was…all of them didn’t sit right with me. Not one! As obvious as it is to say this, I didn’t look like myself in the photos. I actually much prefer my body just as it is. Sure I’ve got a small butt, small boobs, a soft belly, and hip dips, but I’ve also got powerful legs, strong shoulders, and a figure that is all mine – unlike anyone else’s. . My question to all of us women is this: Why do we treat our bodies like we treat fashion? Who’s telling us what’s in and what’s out? . The more I think about this, the more I see the parallels between the fashion industry and the media industry. . The Media = The “designers” telling us who’s body is “in” based on the type of women we see chosen for ads, TV, and movies. Social media is no exception. The explore page on IG is currently full of Kim K bootied influencers. . Influencers and celebrities = The “runway models” that women look up to, want to look like, and even become. However, being the “it girl” doesn’t last long, so before we know it, there’s a new “cool girl” that’s been casted for the show, and now women unknowingly want to look like her because they see her everywhere. . Problem? You can’t just throw out a body part just because it’s “last season”!!! I mean, I guess you could, but you’re gonna lose a lot of $, time, and…blood. And seriously, are you going to let someone else tell you that the way your mother brought you into this world isn’t good enough? . BOTTOM LINE: Please treat your body with love & respect and do not succumb to the beauty standard. Embrace your body because it is YOUR own perfect body. . If you know a girl who needs to hear this message today, please tag her. . Also, I want to thank the amazing artist @danielkordek for helping me photoshop my body! (Haha, thought I’d never say that!) I’ve been wanting to do this for a while now, and would not have been able to do it at this level without his help. #blogilates #theperfectbody

A post shared by Cassey Ho (@blogilates) on

Ho feels that it is important to draw attention to body ideals such as this but the true confidence of an individual comes from inside. She has this advice for those who may be struggling with low body image: “don’t focus on your body at all. Don’t focus on the vessel, focus on growing yourself on the inside. Once you find that confidence, that’s how you’ll truly love yourself and feel beautiful.”


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