It can happen to anyone. You’re out living your life, having memorable experiences with family and friends and you have some idea of what you look like, but then afterward you see a photo that puts you in a bad mood and changes how you feel about yourself. Whether it’s dancing at a friend’s wedding, frolicking in your swimsuit on vacation, or running in a half marathon like in the case of blogger Dorothy Beal—some not-so-flattering pictures might emerge, highlighting your deepest insecurities about your body.
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Beal, an experienced marathon runner, decided to share both her good and bad race photos on social media to show that this can happen to anyone, even to super healthy, fit and active people. In her post, Beal shows how one bad picture that highlights cellulite on her body spoiled her memory of what in actuality was a great day, and she’s urging others not to let a bad photo steal their joy as well. She writes, “Both of these race photos were taken on the same day at the same race. In one I looked happy and strong and in the other I was left questioning if there was a part of my body that didn’t have cellulite.”
Sadly, after seeing the unflattering race photo, Beal began to have a negative recollection of the day rather than remembering it as it really was. “If you had asked me after if I had a good time I would have said YES!! I still felt that way in the days following the race UNTIL I saw the photo on the left and then insecurity set in and I thought about how that day was not fun.”
While Beal looks exactly how a woman running 13.1 miles should look in both photos (determined, strong, happy and tired) her post is so relatable because it speaks to an issue many woman have trouble dealing with—accepting our bodies as is, flaws and all. Her post has garnered many comments from followers who have dealt with the same issue. One commenter wrote, “I can not tell you how much I love this whole post. It shouldn’t steal your joy. It’s so sad that we put all of our happiness or emotion into a photo. It doesn’t label us.” Posts like these serve as a reminder that no matter how active we are or what we look like, we all have our own insecurities to overcome.
