7 Women Are Photographed In Their Underwear And Get Real About What's Real

We know that very little of what we're presented in advertisements and fashion magazines is real. But we're presented with it All. The. Time. So it's one thing to know it, but it's another to keep from affecting how we view ourselves.

Body image real talk.

I think that by now, most of us are well aware that the girl in the magazine doesn't actually look like the picture of the girl in the magazine. Images are altered and Photoshopped within an inch of their lives. Sometimes, the Photoshopping is so extreme we can laugh at it.

But most of the time, it's done well — assuming we define "well" as convincing us that we're looking at an ideal human being. And seeing those images over and over can affect us in ways we don't even realize.

Let's not talk about how we all know better, blah, blah, blah, so we just need to get over it. We begin seeing these images when we're very young. While many kids will make it to adulthood unaffected, many others are affected negatively.

What can we do about it?

We can keep pushing back against advertisers and magazines. We can demand that people remain looking like, well, people. And we can also celebrate our real selves. No matter our size — thin, heavy, or anywhere in between — our bodies are good.

Let's get started.

Seven women agreed to talk about their bodies and to be photographed in their underwear and tank tops. They were totally on board with doing it makeup-free and knew the photos wouldn't be retouched.

What's the media telling us?

We hear the message loud and clear. There's an "ideal" standard of beauty, and even though it's entirely unattainable for most actual humans, no matter! That's what looks good, amirite?!

It can be confusing.

We see these altered images over and over, and reality can become blurred.

But is that actually real?

Short answer: nope. What's real is you. What's natural is you!

Let's rewrite the message.

Remember that you're real and you're good. Focus on what you like about yourself. Those clichéd sayings about the power of positive thinking really do apply here.