An influencer turns her Instagram outtakes into hilarious side-by-side photos to prove that social media isn't real life

Darcy Schild
Jun 19, 2020, 1:01 PM

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Rianne Meijer, whose "expectation vs. reality" photos show her 630,000 followers that Instagram isn't always real life.

Courtesy of Rianne Meijer

In the digital age, it's not uncommon for people to go to great lengths to post the perfect photo on social media.
Amsterdam-based social media influencer Rianne Meijer does what most influencers wouldn't dream of doing: sharing her raw photos alongside her previously posted Instagram pictures.
In an interview with Insider, Meijer said she feels she has a responsibility as an influencer to give her followers a reality check.
Meijer's side-by-side edited and "real-life" photos have received praise and positivity from her followers.
Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

When it comes to sorting through photo outtakes of herself, style and beauty influencer Rianne Meijer tends to take an unorthodox approach: She shares them.

The Amsterdam-based influencer proudly shares her unedited photo outtakes with her 630,000 followers, posting them alongside the enhanced version to show that what people see on social media isn't always realistic.

In an era in which it's not uncommon for people to go to extremes in the name of portraying a perfect image online, the 26-year-old said she feels like she has a responsibility as an influencer to give her followers a reality check. She does this by sharing and celebrating her photoshoot "bloopers."

"I want to show that photos people see on Instagram, especially from influencers, aren't ever really real," Meijer said in a 2019 interview with Insider.

Though she said was once nervous people would call her a fraud after seeing her un-enhanced photos, Meijer said she's been pleasantly surprised at the positive responses.

"I feel like I've found my voice through this project, and I want to keep building a community around this that builds on the positive message," she said.

Keep reading to see some of Meijer's recent side-by-side photo comparisons that prove nobody is perfect.

Amsterdam-based style and beauty influencer Rianne Meijer started sharing Instagram posts of her photo shoot outtakes in 2018.

Courtesy of Rianne Meijer

"I was scrolling through these photos I didn't use after doing a photoshoot for a job in Berlin, and I had the idea to post the pictures I used alongside these shots that I didn't post," Meijer explained. "I thought it was a good message to share."

Here, she proves that taking a perfectly posed photo with a dog is practically impossible ...

Courtesy of Rianne Meijer

Meijer's dog, Harvey, makes many appearances in her posts.

... and that a perfectly lit selfie isn't always true to everyday life.

Rianne Meijer, whose "expectation vs. reality" photos show her 630,000 followers that Instagram isn't always real life.

Courtesy of Rianne Meijer

In Meijer's post, she wrote, "There are two sides to every story."

She says she was nervous about people leaving hateful comments, and feared that brands wouldn't want to work with her after she shared her outtakes alongside the edited pictures she's posted.

Courtesy of Rianne Meijer

"I was nervous because I thought people would think I was a fraud, especially because prior to that, I'd only ever posted these photos with perfect lighting, the right angle, and everything very perfect," Meijer said.

But Meijer says the response to her side-by-side photos has been overwhelmingly positive.

Courtesy of Rianne Meijer

"I got thousands of people commenting. A lot of people thanked me for sharing these images because they felt like they never saw this before on Instagram," she said.

While she noticed people unfollowing her after posting her photo shoot outtakes, she also found that she gained new followers and received loads of supportive comments.

"If people want to unfollow me, that's fine. I feel like I've found my voice through this project, and I want to keep building a community around this that builds on the positive message," she said.

Some brands have even requested that she create her "expectation vs. reality" photos for sponsored campaigns.

Courtesy of Rianne Meijer

"It's funny because a lot of brands want to use these side-by-side photos that I've posted," Meijer said. "But I haven't actually done a sponsored post in this format. It's just my personal project for now."

Meijer says she wants to share the realities and challenges she faces as a full-time influencer.

Courtesy of Rianne Meijer

"I think what people forget is that it's not only taking beautiful pictures," Meijer said. "The hardest part about this job, for me, is that there's not really any free time. I don't have weekends or off-days. It's a dream job, yes, but it also never stops, and a lot of people can forget about that."

She says she often feels pressured to portray her life as perfect, even when she's trying to relax with family and friends.

Courtesy of Rianne Meijer

"When I'm with family and friends, there's always this voice in my head that's telling me to take a picture or a story, and that doesn't stop. That can be quite hard sometimes," Meijer said.

Through her photo "bloopers," Meijer says she hopes to inspire her audience — and other influencers — to have fun with social media, but also to look at it with a critical eye.

Courtesy of Rianne Meijer

Meijer said she often thinks of her 13-year-old niece, whom she often sees scrolling through Instagram.

"I just want her, and everyone else, to be reminded that everything isn't always the way it seems, especially on Instagram," Meijer said.

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