Maria Fowler shares comparison snaps to reveal photo editing secrets

Maria Fowler exposed how social media influencers edit their snaps as she posed in black underwear for an enlightening video on Wednesday.

The former TOWIE star, 34, shared footage shrinking her waist and enhancing her breasts on a retouching app, as she confirmed some images on Instagram are ‘heavily manipulated’. 

While sharing the editing secrets online, Maria declared she didn’t want to ‘shame anybody,’ but rather highlight how social media is often an ‘illusion’ full of ‘smoke and mirrors’. 

Change: The former TOWIE star, 34, shared footage shrinking her waist and enhancing her breasts on a retouching app as she confirmed some images on Instagram are 'heavily manipulated' (pictured after editing)

Natural beauty: Maria Fowler exposed how social media influencers edit their snaps as she posed in black underwear for an enlightening video on Wednesday (pictured before editing)

The natural beauty was seen posing on a bed in minimal make-up, her chestnut tresses swept up a sleek high bun. 

As she tweaked elements of her physique, Maria wrote to her 175 thousand followers: ‘How influencers edit photos..I have been getting so many messages off you all and I wanted to show you one step further exactly how some of the images we see on Instagram are so heavily manipulated.

‘This isn’t to shame anybody at all, people have their own reasons to do this, it could be society, insecurity , many reasons.

‘I think it’s important to share this with you so you know that a lot of the time the body on the girls you compare yourself to… She probably also wishes she looked like she does in her pics.’

Behind the curtain: While sharing the editing secrets online, Maria declared she didn't want to 'shame anybody,' but rather highlight how social media is often an 'illusion' full of 'smoke and mirrors'

Behind the curtain: While sharing the editing secrets online, Maria declared she didn’t want to ‘shame anybody,’ but rather highlight how social media is often an ‘illusion’ full of ‘smoke and mirrors’

She continued the editing process by smoothing out her skin and removing moles as she concluded: ‘Instagram is often an illusion and as I said before, smoke and mirrors. Be you, be happy because you are real and you are beautiful ✌’. (sic)

Earlier this month, she spoke about how Instagram can be deceiving for promoting how women’s bodies can ‘bounce back’ shortly after giving birth. 

The star, who is the proud mum of two daughters Evie, four, and Nellie, three months, took to social media to show how two photos taken ‘seconds apart’ showed her post-partum figure differently. 

In one photo, Maria looked toned but said she was ‘breathing in to within an inch of her life’, while the other showed her stomach in a relaxed state.  

Thoughtful: She continued the editing process by smoothing out her skin and removing moles as she shared her thoughts on retouching

Thoughtful: She continued the editing process by smoothing out her skin and removing moles as she shared her thoughts on retouching

Maria wrote: ‘Smoke and mirrors, “How I lost my pregnancy weight in 2 weeks”… I didn’t. Both photos are taken seconds apart.

‘There were no supplements. No crazy diets, skinny jabs, ketones, no quick fixes. All it involved was a better pose.

‘There is nothing wrong with either photo, and nothing wrong with wanting to look your best in photos. 

‘I could post a plethora of photos like the first one, showing you how ‘incredible’ I look 3 months postpartum and but I am aware I have a responsibility to be real with you, I don’t want people to see my page and feel a failure, that you’re not enough.’

Comparison: Earlier this month, she spoke about how Instagram can be deceiving for promoting how women's bodies can 'bounce back' shortly after giving birth

Comparison: Earlier this month, she spoke about how Instagram can be deceiving for promoting how women’s bodies can ‘bounce back’ shortly after giving birth

Maria told her followers the photo on the left ‘isn’t representative of how I look’ because she stood on her tiptoes and breathed in ‘to within an inch of my life’.

The reality star said she isn’t going to ‘push myself to look like first photo’ but is conscious about eating in moderation and exercise. 

She continued: ‘I used to only post photos where I looked perfect and to be honest its quite stressful, you just create so much pressure on yourself.

‘Yesterday I looked back to a photo 4 years ago of me when I just had Evie and I wondered how I looked so good back then and why don’t I look that good now after having Nellie, then I realised I had the high waisted leggings on, I had the perfect pose and lighting – in real life, I didn’t really look like that at all. 

‘If myself (knowing all of the tricks of the trade) can feel rubbish looking at my old perfect pictures after having Evie, I can imagine a lot of you on Instagram feel the same looking at other ‘influencers’ photos.’

Maria said she wanted to remind her followers that the picture perfect posts they see on Instagram is all down to ‘the right pose, the right angle and the right lighting’.

She concluded: ‘This isn’t about bashing photos of perfection, this is just to remind you how it is often achieved and that a lot of what you see online is smoke and mirrors.’ 

Family: The former TOWIE star told fans that without her scars she 'wouldn't have her babies' or be married to a 'good man' (pictured with husband Kelvin Batey and daughters Evie, four, and Nellie, three months)

Family: The former TOWIE star told fans that without her scars she ‘wouldn’t have her babies’ or be married to a ‘good man’ (pictured with husband Kelvin Batey and daughters Evie, four, and Nellie, three months)