Let's be honest, here. Instagram is supposed to be just a photo-sharing social media app, but we all know it's there to mostly make our lives look more glamorous than they really are.
We all do it, so we're not judging anyone. And it takes some real skill to make your real life look flawless and awesome on Instagram.
1. That perfectly plated meal…
…is actually surrounded by all the other crap on your dining room table that you had to push out of frame. No one actually has a perfectly set table at all times. We all know that's where our mail, keys, sunglasses, etc. go.
2. That photo of your girlfriend as your #WCW (Women Crush Wednesday) every week, complete with gushing caption…
…is actually the only way you could ever do a #WCW. Because if your girl saw the countless photos of Jennifer Lawrence on your phone you wish you could post, you might be in trouble. Same goes for the ladies and #MCM (Man Crush Monday). You might have to post your boyfriend every week, but what you really want is to put Taylor Kitsch all over your Instagram feed. And by "your Instagram feed," we mean "you horizontal body."
3. That wad of cash that makes you look like what the kids call a "baller"…
…is actually the money you are using to pay rent for your studio apartment that has a bathroom-slash-kitchen and costs $2,200 a month.
4. That sexy goodnight selfie to entice followers…
…is how you look right before your actual nighttime routine: zit cream, messy bun and a comfortable bra (or no bra!) Who the hell sleeps in a slinky push up bra?!
5. That photo of you chilling on a nice couch in a perfectly decorated, fancy pad…
…is actually your friend's house. Or more likely, it's your parent's house.
6. That cozy photo of you and your significant other looking deliriously happy…
…was actually taken 13 minutes after you two got into a fight in the aisles of Costco over whether he should spend 200 bucks on a FoodSaver.*
*actual fight the writer of this article has been in with her significant other
7. That photo of you looking sweet and motherly while holding a baby…
…is only for show, because after you get the money shot you hand that poop machine back to your friend/sister/stranger. Once everyone comments how precious you both look in the pic, you can ignore that child for the rest of time if you so choose.
8. That photo of you next to a dope ride...
...was taken super quick in the parking lot of a Whole Foods while the real owner of the car was still out of frame.
9. That perfect and serene beach photo...
...doesn't show the pasty old men, the seagulls picking for trash or the screaming children that every beach has.
If you think your life isn't Instagram-ready, that's completely fine. Just remember: Your real life isn't always pretty (unless you are Taylor Swift and Lauren Conrad and your life looks like it's been ripped right out of an Anthropologie catalog), but at least your messy life is real.
(Original art by Amanda Oleander for E! Online)