40+ Influencers Who Went Above and Beyond in Photoshop, and Invented a Totally New Version of Themselves

This article appeared in Drivepedia and has been published here with permission.

These Influencers Completely Transformed Themselves Using Photoshop

A little photo retouching never harmed anyone. However, it’s important to make sure not to lose yourself along the way and become a fool for the world to see. Some influencers and social media users fall under that group! They have gone the extra mile to redefine the anatomically impossible results just to invent a whole new, unrealistic version of themselves. Here are a few examples…

The Less You Have, the Better

Imagine you’re scrolling through your Instagram feed when this gal suddenly pops up! Yikes! Surely you’d be taken aback, are we right? Her legs are photoshopped to such an extent that they’re hardly recognizable.

The Less You Have, the Better

Maybe having unrealistic limbs online is the new thing in town. Or perhaps, the new fad is wearing shoes that are bigger than your thighs. That’s something to think about right there. So, next time you see something like this, don’t let the first half of the picture fool you!

Economy Is Not for Me!

Flexing can be cool as long as you don’t end up making a fool of yourself. This particular influencer, or social media user, was caught red-handed when he claimed via Snapchat that he would never sit in the economy section of an airplane, all whilst sitting in economy.

Economy Is Not for Me!

This hilarious moment is a reminder to watch yourself before doing something like this — ya know, if you don’t want to get caught by internet trolls!

Something Seems Off

This guy’s motto is probably something along the lines of “the more unrealistic you make it, the better it is!” After all, body proportions are so outdated nowadays, are we right?! Who cares about looking realistic when Photoshop exists?

Something Seems Off

Being famous and presenting the best, albeit edited version of yourself is what social media is all about, isn’t it? Sarcasm aside, this guy seemed to take this sentiment a little too literally.

Not Your Average Ballerina!

Forget all the graceful ballerinas you’ve ever seen! Nothing can beat the shock this one offers you. This side-by-side comparison shows what the original photo looked like when it was uploaded to the photographer’s Instagram page, in comparison with the influencer’s version.

Not Your Average Ballerina!

It’s quite alarming to see what kind of beauty and body expectations people have for themselves. Enough is enough, people. It’s time to start loving yourself for everything that you are!

Photoshop Your Reflection Too!

There’s no shame in wrinkles. After all, aging is a natural part of life. Even so, if you decide that you want to blur those wrinkles for a quick selfie, that’s also fine! We’re not judging you.

Photoshop Your Reflection Too!

If you are going to Photoshop off your wrinkles, though, then try not to forget about your reflection in the mirror — especially if you’re attempting to promote an anti-wrinkle product!

Blinding

We don’t know about you guys but this obviously-editted photo reminded of the Friends episode, “The One With Ross’ Teeth.” In attempt to look good for his date, Ross decides to whiten his teeth.

Blinding

Unfortuantely, he leaves the whitening solution on for too long, causing his teeth to turn into a blinding shade of white — so blinding that he couldn’t even hold a full conversation with his date until they turned off the lights. While pearly whites is a desired trait by many, we can promise that no one wants glow-in-the-dark white.

Not Born This Way

Who doesn’t want nice, doe-like, bright eyes? That dollish look is surely adored by all, but this woman right here took it a little too seriously and overdid it to the point that our own eyes hurt from looking at the photo for too long.

Not Born This Way

It was probably inspired by Margaret Keane’s “Big Eyes” paintings. Even so, this woman photoshopped her features so much that it makes you do a double-take to figure out whether or not you’re looking at a real-life human!

Texture Is Beautiful!

While the world is beggining to realize the toxicity behind fake promotions and heavily modified pictures, it’s high time we also adore our humanly features and textures. It can be highly deceiving and quite exhausting to constantly see poreless, textureless, hairless, wrinkleless, and unrealistic skin all over the internet.

Texture Is Beautiful!

These kinds of comparisons are a reminder to stop hating on yourself based on unrealistic beauty expectations and accept the real you. Having textures is human; having textures is beautiful.

Asia or Africa?

Nowadays, most of the photos that we see and are exposed to on social media are so perfectly and precisely edited, it’s hard to even tell what’s real and what isn’t. Take this photo, for instance.

Asia or Africa?

Apparently, copying and pasting animals has become a trend. Unfortunately, though, this woman couldn’t differentiate between an African elephant and an Asian elephant. If we’re being honest, though, that’s not really the problem. The problem is why — why did she feel the need to Photoshop elephants into her photo?

Ribs Don’t Lie!

Unhealthy beauty expectations have reached another height recently. Along with having no texture and no fat, having no ribs is apparently the new thing. Why worry about having ribs when you can shrink your waist down to the point that it’s not even humanly possible for your internal organs to operate properly?

Ribs Don’t Lie!

Yikes! This ‘look’ is dangerously normalized and we’re not on board for it. These kinds of expectations will likely influence young and impressionable minds, provoking self-hate along the way because they’ll never look like this naturally.

Stick Figures Deserve Clothes, Too!

Have you ever imagined how interesting it would be to have a real-life Slenderman around you? To help you with the thought, we present you this photo right here — this dude’s limbs are edited to such an extent that you might forget you’re looking at a real human.

Stick Figures Deserve Clothes, Too!

It seems like stick figures wish to have new pants, too. It makes us wonder whether or not a ‘real human’ would actually invest in these skinny jeans after seeing such posts.

Piercing Eyes

This might not be as bad as the other “extreme” ones, but it’s a no-brainer for those who love to look for Photoshop fails. Sure — we all admire a set of eyes that can pierce through your soul.

Piercing Eyes

However, it’s not half as flattering when it results in a bad Photoshop fail. Jokes aside, though, it would be pretty awesome if we could get our hands on a set of orbs that have the ability to pierce a hole through any object.

Exorcised Elsa?!

Here’s yet another example of someone that got a little too trigger happy while editing her photo. While we’re sure that the original selfie was perfectly fine, this edited version makes it look as if this lady is an exorcised version of Elsa from Frozen.

Exorcised Elsa?!

Don’t let your kids get close to this two-plaited Elsa because, apparently, she couldn’t “let it go” when it came to Photoshop, and ruined her pretty face by overdoing it with the edits. We suppose the snowflakes and beanie were nice additions, though!

Beauty Delusions

Misleading images of celebrities aren’t an uncommon sighting. However, it often hurts to see the modifications reach a point that you can’t even recognize the celebrity without all the edits.

Beauty Delusions

The obsession to be ‘perfect’ and match the toxic beauty standards not only preaches a harmful message, but also puts unneeded societal pressure on people. This side-by-side comparison of a particular Chinese celebrity is the perfect example.

Same Girl

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to change your face and put on a new one just like you pick your outfit for the day? Or would it ruin your uniqueness and your identity?

Same Girl

Some social media users, such as this one, have taken Photoshop to a whole new and bizarre level. While so many young girls strive to make themselves look older, this woman has taken the opposite approach, editing her photos to the point that she looks like a 12-year-old.

Someone Doesn’t Believe in Anatomy

Get ready to be blown away by another ‘rib hater.’ It seems like being anatomically incorrect is the new beauty standard everywhere. Photoshopping is alright to a certain extent, but it shouldn’t get to the point that you’ve fully taken away your identity.

Someone Doesn’t Believe in Anatomy

Denying or rejecting the very assets you were born with is not okay! People need to love themselves for who they are, no matter their size or shape. Influencers these days have taken Photoshop to an extreme that just isn’t healthy, even posing an issue for those that have body dysmorphia.

Hi There

It’s hard to understand what people get out of ruining their perfectly sculpted face for nothing. Rather than making himself look more attractive, this dude became an online laughing stock. Even men are not spared from the venomous web of unrealistic Photoshop practice.

Hi There

This guy looks like a pretty handsome man without all those filters and absurd modifications. Geez! Why would anyone do that to themselves, that too on a dating app? Seems as though he wanted to bring his Sims character to life.

Barbie & Ken

According to today’s beauty standards, anything is acceptable as long as you don’t resemble an actual human. While playing with Bratz dolls during their childhood, these two lovely individuals clearly made a pact that they’d one day transform themselves into one.

Barbie & Ken

The photoshopped and face-tuned pictures are so blurred out that they could make anyone do a double-take. Are these two individuals even able to move their faces? It’s as if they’ve just endured an intense round of botox!

Chester, Is That You?

If you’ve ever wondered what Cheetos’ official mascot, Chester the Cheetah, would look like as a human, here you have it! In all seriousness, this would have been a beautiful picture had this woman not edit it so heavily.

Chester, Is That You?

From the exaggerated body features to the oversized eyes and even the background — everything in this photo is enhanced to the maximum level possible… although she did miss a spot of fake spray tan on her right arm.

I’ve Got Your Nose!

We don’t know about you guys but the minute we looked at this photo, we were instantly transported back to our childhood, when our parents and relatives would play the ‘I’ve Got Your Nose’ game with us. Well, it looks like someone played that game with this influencer when she was a little girl, and they just never gave it back.

I’ve Got Your Nose!

We wonder if she’s even able to smell anything… and if she’s not able to, then how is she able to taste anything?! Perhaps she can find herself a new nose, using Photoshop or something.

Having Ribs Is So Last Year

Okay, forget what you learned in biology class. Apparently, ribs are no longer essential to protect your organs… according to some influencers. Who needs ribs, rights? All jokes aside, this is yet another example of the most obsessive toxic beauty expectation of today’s date — having the tiniest waist.

Having Ribs Is So Last Year

It’s saddening and sickening to watch all these photographs being edited to such an extreme length just to assure that they match up to social media beauty standards.

‘Half’-Hazard!

The obsession with unrealistically airbrushed skin and age-inappropriate features is not funny anymore. This picture is the perfect example of that! Then again, though, we can’t blame them considering that the whole world is running after such unrealistic — and frankly, hazardous — beauty expectations and standards.

‘Half’-Hazard!

Still, if you’re going to give in to peer pressure and post this on a virtual platform for the internet to judge, make sure to do it properly Kimmy! No one loves a half-airbrushed face, after all!

Mrs. Incredible, Anyone?

When it comes to advertising and selling a product, it’s no secret that most companies edit their photos and use Photoshop. Still, we’ve rarely heard of companies increasing the bust size on a model to sell padded bras, or elongating legs to advertise skinny jeans.

Mrs. Incredible, Anyone?

Ali Express — an online retail service — was selling denim skinny jeans on their website. For some reason, though, they decided that it would be a good idea to stretch the model’s legs to the point that she’s beginning to resemble Mrs. Incredible from The Incredibles.

Sketch Artist

When it comes to Instagram, users are all about editing their photos to perfection. Nowadays, there are tools for everything — from shrinking the size of your nose to getting rid of your double chin to smoothing your skin out to the point that it looks textureless. But, what happens if you edit your photos past the point of perfection?

Sketch Artist

Well, this is one such example. What could have been a seriously beautiful picture was turned into a portrait of sorts. Seriously — this woman edited her face so much that this photo could actually be mistaken for a drawing. Good luck with the comments, dear!

Thumbs Up

We shouldn’t judge those who edit their photos; it’s okay to do so. It’s okay to decrease the size of your tummy by an inch or two if that’s what helps you become more confident. A little extra dash may mean tinting your lips or contouring down your plump cheeks.

Thumbs Up

The texture tool is often used if you suffer from uneven skin tone here and there. It’s no wonder why people use makeup tools and methods, such as highlighter and contouring. Still, the edits this Instagrammer made using the texture tool may have not turned out the way she originally intended.

Skin Vanishing Cream

Aging is a natural part of life, not a defect — said by scientists and activists worldwide. However, the world may not agree with that. You see, anxious middle-aged men and women spend thousands on anti-aging creams and serums just so that they can look a day younger.

Skin Vanishing Cream

To take advantage of these nervous nellies, companies produce serums that promise to rewind the clock by 10 years. Since they can’t find a senior citizen who looks like a 20-year-old (how shocking) after application, they resort to editing tools and basically turn these women into plastic barbie heads.

You’re So Vain

When someone finds a new skill, they usually like to tell their friends — or in this case, the internet — about it. If you’ve been trying new eyeshadows out and have mastered liquid eyeliner, you might as well call yourself the next big makeup artist. If you’ve been working out and seeing results, you’re now a fitness goddess.

You’re So Vain

And while we totally respect that, we don’t understand why this particular social media influencer fine-tuned her face to get rid of wrinkles when the rest of her clearly hasn’t been edited at all. You’re beautiful, honey, with or without wrinkles! Embrace it all!

Do You Even Need Organs?

What is our body mostly made up of? Bones? Organs? Blood vessels? All of them? This Instagrammer clearly doesn’t believe that organs should be a thing.

Do You Even Need Organs?

Or she probably thinks that a productive day at the gym can magically shrink her stomach size down so much that she’ll look unrecognizable.

Bodybuilder Arm

Seriously, people? Now we’ve gotten to the point that we feel the need to edit our biceps? We wonder if this gal knows that you can still be a fitness influencer even if your followers can’t see your bulging veins. In fact, we’d actually prefer it that way. There’s really no need to Photoshop someone else’s arm onto your body just to advertise a certain kind of protein powder.

Bodybuilder Arm

And if you are going to edit your content to this extreme, then be consistent! Otherwise, you’ll get called out just like this. Let’s hope she’s since learned her lesson!

Trespassing Photobomb

People often use a background editor if they’ve captured the perfect picture of themselves, but the background just doesn’t complement the photo itself. You wouldn’t want people to look at the bench behind you if it has been soiled by a flock of resting pigeons.

Trespassing Photobomb

This Instagrammer felt the same. On the search for the perfect background, this woman decided to Photoshop herself on the hood of a Nissan 370Z. An interesting choice to say the least…

Imposter Alert

For women, editing could mean increasing their bust size or shrinking down their waist. But, what is it like for men? While many of us would assume that men don’t edit their photos — at least not in the way women do — this guy proved everyone totally wrong.

Imposter Alert

This dude was perhaps placing too much of a focus on his shoulder muscles and lats, that he didn’t realize his back doesn’t match the rest. Yeah, that’s awkward but we’ll give him an A for effort anyway.

Instagram vs. Reality

Let’s be real — this social media influencer looks absolutely beautiful in both photos; with and without makeup. Still, we have to admit that it’s shocking to see how many filters, editing tools, and makeup products she used to get the perfect Instagram selfie.

Instagram vs. Reality

At the end of the day, the most important thing is that this young woman feels beautiful no matter what — whether she’s just rolled out of bed in the morning, or has glammed herself up for a night out. Judging from the smile she has in the far right photo, we’d say that she’s a pretty confident gal, which is all we want!

Fake Surgery

One of the worst things to see is just how much celebrities edit their photos because chances are, their fans will for it — meaning that they’ll automatically think they have to look this way or they won’t be considered beautiful. Compared to the original photo on the left, we can see just how much Kim K. edited the image for her own Instagram account.

Fake Surgery

Forget about her bust, derriere, or even the dress zipper (why did she feel the need to get rid of that?). Just look at how much her face was edited; even her jawline looks completely different. If only celebrities like the Kardashian-Jenner clan could love themselves for who they truly are. Then, fans wouldn’t be so quick to make so many changes to their own bodies.

Asian Editing 101

It’s adorable, albeit shocking how many people edit their faces to look like dolls. But, if that’s what makes them feel confident and self-assured, all the power to them!

Asian Editing 101

This lovely woman teaches us how she transformed herself into a life-size doll with porcelain skin. And we have to admit that we’re actually pretty impressed!

Embrace All Your Curves

Alright, people. Look how beautiful and curvaceous this woman is! Even so, though, she felt the need to edit and smooth out her curves. While we’re not judging her — or anyone, for that matter — we just wish she could see how stunning she is without the edits!

Embrace All Your Curves

At this point in the list, it’s hard to believe that anyone really looks like themselves anymore. The age of social media has completely warped our views of what we believe to be acceptable, and it’s very sad.

Find the Similarity

You’ve been photoshopping your pictures since you could remember; this is the only version that your fans know. That is, until they get to see you in person. Now you need to take a shower, get a manicure, and get those eyebrows plucked.

Find the Similarity

Will it be enough for TV? The camera is a DSLR or mirrorless, not a beauty cam! Hence, when people see you on live TV the same day you posted that alluring Instagram photo, they’ll spot the differences. And that’s okay, but be prepared for that moment!

Getting Festive

We’re big fans of the holiday season but we’re not such fans of Photoshopping yourself to the point that you look like a doll. Whatever look this woman was going for, we’re not into it.

Getting Festive

If this is her way of getting into the Christmas spirit, perhaps she should figure out a new and less-edited spirit. If we received a postcard like this, we’d probably get a great fright!

Nearly a Done Deal

This curvy influencer nearly had us fooled with her drastic hourglass shape but unfortunately for her, she chose the wrong place to pose against. Reflective surfaces are total giveaways!

Nearly a Done Deal

We would say the moral of the story here is don’t edit yourself but we would just be fooling ourselves if we thought you’d all listen. Rather we’ll just say you should refrain from taking photos near mirrors or windows at night!

Sims in Action

Who misses playing The Sims? We certainly do! Back in our younger days, we’d have such fun creating characters and then making them interact with one another. While that video game is considered old news, there’s a new simulation available…

Sims in Action

Simply edit yourself so much so that you look totally unrecognizable and almost like a character from a video game! We hope you can pick up on our sarcasm because we actually find this girl rather frightening.

Gone Too Far

The fact that people add filters and edit their eyes to look more sparkly is just something we’ve all grown accustomed to. However, we’re not okay with straight-up lies and that’s exactly what this next post is.

Gone Too Far

That car is no Lambo and that’s totally fine, we can’t all afford to roam around in fancy sportscars. But, why lie about it? Rather embrace the fact that you have a car that gets you from point A to point B.

April Fools!

There’s no worse feeling than seeing a yummy meal on the menu and ordering it, only to discover that what arrives at your table looks nothing like it. That same disappointment can be felt when spotting a catfish online.

April Fools!

We understand that we all want to look our very best, but we draw the line in the sand at looking unrecognizable. And truthfully, you’re only fooling yourself!

Rock On!

We all want abs! And, why not? It’s a physical sign of you being in great shape. The harsh reality is that not all of us are so capable of earning these body lines and for most of us, it takes a lot of commitment.

Rock On!

So, in today’s times with wanting instant gratification, we’re all looking for the fastest way to achieve results. But Photoshopping rock-hard abs on yourself is not the answer!

Own Your Age

There’s absolutely no doubt in our minds that J-Lo is beautiful and she’s got bucketloads of talent. But she, along with everyone else, is only human. Meaning that we are all imperfect and as we grow older, our faces start to reflect that.

Own Your Age

So, we suggest she rather embraces that and serves as a role model to others, as opposed to editing herself to look flawless. Who is with us?

One Big Edited Family

The only two that look real in this photo are the sweet, little dogs. As for the two men, we don’t know who looks more touched up. From the tan (on the left side) to the brows and eyes, it looks as if they recruited an amateur Photoshopper to enhance their family photo.

One Big Edited Family

And if that is the case, they should request a full refund because they both look rather silly. Those poor dogs are accurately reflecting our facial expressions when we first saw this.

Take Me to Rome

We know that times are currently tough and the travel bans are weighing down on most of us. After all, traveling is one of the great gifts we have, so not being able to do so easily has definitely come with its fair share of challenges.

Take Me to Rome

As a result, a lot of us are resorting to posting throwback photos of happier times. We can totally understand this trend because well, why not? But what we can’t seem to wrap our heads around is Photoshopping ourselves into places where we weren’t.

Millennial Culture

Nowadays with social media, the world is more concerned about brands than ever before. This doesn’t just pertain to high-end fashion brands, but also companies that are just considered cool.

Millennial Culture

And when it comes to coffee, no coffeehouse is better known than Starbucks. So, we can understand why people want to post when they grab their daily order there, but what we can’t understand is this… Don’t you have something more productive to do with your time?

Muscle to the Power Infinity

By now, you probably know that even men rely on Photoshop to boost their confidence. This mostly involves amping up the muscles to impress their friends, men and women.

Muscle to the Power Infinity

Some will vow that they’ve never missed a day at the gym as an excuse for their extremely beefy photo. This man probably couldn’t stand the fact that his friend turned arch-nemesis had bigger arms than him so he resized his biceps to the max.

Five-Year Challenge

When you go out on a date, a major part of the night involves romantic selfies. This couple captured some beautiful moments but it seems that when the time had come to share the photos with the world — or the internet — the duo uploaded the pictures at two different times.

Five-Year Challenge

The guy’s picture (far left) is the original, and it’s quite stunning. As you can see, though, the woman’s version (far right) has been heavily edited. Sure — she still somewhat looks like herself, but not enough…

Faux Kate Olsen

You’ve literally caked on layers of makeup after hours of tutorials and yet you couldn’t achieve that natural-looking skin. Thank your lucky stars that you have the proper technology that’ll help to achieve the look you’re going for.

Faux Kate Olsen

This lady must be a big fan of Kate Olsen because the resemblance is uncanny. Her eyes, skin tone, nose — even the t-shirt — looks heavily edited if you look at the comparison photo on the far left. We wonder if she recognizes herself…

Thumb War

If you think that this is like the rest of the photoshopped photos on this list, you’re highly mistaken. Sure — this woman’s waist, tummy, and curves have been edited but that’s not actually what we’re focusing on here.

Thumb War

What we’re most fascinated about is the shape of her two thumbs. These thumbs do not look like twins; not sisters. Perhaps they’re distant relatives? It makes us wonder whose thumb this woman so unrighteously stole.

Edit of the Year

Since the end is here, it’s perhaps time to catch a glimpse of the edit of the year. This woman’s Instagram account is full of images that captivate her audience — between her piercing blue eyes and clean-cut ponytail.

Edit of the Year

From the looks of the picture on the far right, though, this woman woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Or perhaps, she has forgotten to fine-tune her cheeks and jawline. There’s only so much Photoshop can do in real life.