Unfiltered

Posted 12 weeks ago:

Angled to make my face look slimmer

Posted 9 weeks ago:

Edited to make my skin look lighter

Posted 7 weeks ago:

Blurred to erase my imperfections

Posted 4 weeks ago:

Photo-shopped to make my waist look slimmer

Posted 1 week ago:

Perfected to make myself look flawless

Taken today:

Unfiltered

My skin is discolored

My body is not a perfect hourglass shape

The color of my dress is not just right

The photo is imperfect

But it is so happy

I am mid-laugh, and I am imperfect

My smile is genuine, unmasked by the edits that whiten my teeth and enlarge my lips

My pose is natural, arms reaching for the source of my laughter, comfortable

Instead of strained to show off how toned my arms are usually edited to be, edited to impress

My body is real,

Not eliciting any flurry of ohmygodyouaresothin youaresolucky howdidyougetsosmall comments

My eyes are bright, no longer hidden by "Sepia," "Black and White," by the filters that dim the light in my eyes

I am me, finally,

And I think I am beautiful

I post the photo, as is,

Adding the caption, "No Filter," to showcase the real me