Big Brother star Chanelle Hayes recently shared photos of her incredible eight stone weight loss on social media following gastric bypass surgery last year.
However in the side by side photos, the star warned fans that not all was what it seemed, and used the post to highlight the ‘scary’ power of technology and photo editing tools.
She posted the same image twice, unedited and edited alongside each other, to highlight how social media allows people to edit their pictures to create false impressions of themselves.
In the first photo, Chanelle points towards the stretch marks on her stomach, alongside an edited snap of the same photo, showing her abs as more toned and without stretch marks.
She captioned the photo: “The power of technology these days is scary. Especially if you’re good at it (I, clearly, am not.)
“The ease at which we can alter our appearance at the click of a button unnerves me. I am glad this technology wasn’t available to me when I was a teenager because I would have been very very messed up.”
She added: “The ‘circles of shame’ in magazines was one thing, but today we are literally shamed for not editing our pics. What has happened to society?”
Fans took to social media to praise the star for her honest and thought-provoking post, with one saying: “Please keep this fantastic REAL body positivity up. You are helping some many women and teens. You have no idea the impact you are having xxx.”
A second fan said: “I love you. An inspiration to all women and a great role model for young girls x,” while a third said: “So much respect for you lady and being honest. Your beauty shines through.”
Chanelle first rose to fame at the age of 19 on Channel 4 show Big Brother in 2007 and following her gastric sleeve surgery in 2020, is now using social media to promote body positivity.
She has also appeared on programmes including daytime talk show Loose Women to talk about her weight loss journey, saying: “I do feel so much better, so much healthier.
“I’m able to do more. I’m able to go trampolining with the kids, I can go and get involved in stuff.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk