Believe it or not, there are less than 10 minutes between the two pictures
A popular bodybuilder and YouTube star has shown how easily weight loss transformation photos are manipulated on social media.
When it comes to before-and-after pictures posted on social platforms, there is often more than meets the eye.
To illustrate this, bodybuilder Matt Morsia took two transformation photos - before and after pictures. At first glance, there seems to be a marked difference in body composition (ratio of muscle mass to body fat).
You'd be forgiven for thinking these before-and-after shots were taken months apart. They clearly resemble the result of a 12-week 'shred' plan.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CHsXEh5gSEv/
However, Morsia says the two pictures were separated by less than 10 minutes. Known widely by his MattDoesFitness moniker, the former P.E. teacher added that the deception is easily achieved by following a few simple steps.
He said: "These two pics were taken less than 10 minutes apart in the same spot. The only changes made between them are:
- I closed the blinds and turned the lights up
- I got a chest/shoulder/bicep pump
- I contracted my abs for the second pic
- I sprayed water on myself."
Writing beneath his Instagram post, Morsia called on social media users to be vigilant when they encounter unnatural-looking physiques and transformation photos on social media.
"I'm the same person with exactly the same physique in exactly the same place," he said.
"Just wanted to highlight how misleading Instagram pics can be. For the most part, the images you see on here are people at their absolute best - not a reflection of how they look 24 hours a day."
Morsia is one of the most popular fitness influencers on social media. He has an Instagram following of just under one million. He's best known on YouTube, where he has 1.96 million subscribers.
He elaborated on his Instagram post in a video posted on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEG5tBIh5Eo
He said: "Even something like tensing your abs... you can go from looking like you've never trained abs in your life, to looking like you train them 10 times a day.
"If you are looking for more of an accurate representation of what my physique looks like most of the time, that (pointing to the before image) is more like it."
Morsia rounded off his example by claiming, "What you see on social media can be very misleading."
