Danae Mercer is back with another self-love post.

On Thursday, the journalist and body-positive influencer took to Instagram to share a video of her recreating two popular bikini poses with her 2.4 million followers.

In the clip, the 34-year-old reminded fans that “online is not entirely real” by showing how social media stars achieve their seemingly perfect snaps.

For the first pose, Mercer kneeled on the ground with her body facing the wall and her head turned back to the camera. The words: “Back super arched, thighs hidden under legs, and weight lifted up,” appear on the screen, explaining how Mercer achieved the shot.

To recreate the second pose, the influencer had her “top knee bent, hips tilted up, bum close to the camera and a wedgie (always).”

“How influencers take those ‘causal at home bikini pics’ — or my gosh your back will hurt after trying this,” she began in the caption. “I just want to stress that thighs? They smoosh. And skin? It folds. Dimples. Rolls. And boootehs? They jiggle. Wiggle. Go soft when we sit. So don’t be hard on yourself. And remember socials aren’t entirely real.”

In addition to exposing how bikini models achieve their photos, Mercer reminded followers that their bodies are perfect just the way they are.

“The big thing to remember here is influencers almost never actually rest their peaches on stuff. This keeps the peach looking perky, and not all human smooshie,” she wrote. “Neither pose is very comfy. But they photograph fiercely, and that’s ok too. Do you today. But above all else, be kind to yourself. Wobbles and stretchies and all.”

Before I get into the technique
I just want to stress that THIGHS?
They smoosh.

And SKIN?
It folds. Dimples. Rolls.

And BOOOTEHS?
They jiggle. Wiggle. Go soft when we sit.

So don’t be hard on yourself.
And remember socials aren’t entirely real.

Now for how I did this?

POSE ONE
The big thing to remember here is influencers almost never actually rest their peaches on stuff. This keeps the peach looking perky, and not all human smooshie.

In this pose, I’m:
Super arching my back
HIDING MY THIGHS under my calves (like tucking the skin in so less cellulite).
And lifting my body weight AWAY from the shoes. It’s kind of like a squat or quad activator.

In pose two, I’m:
Crossing my top knee over my bottom leg.
Lifting my weight off the bottom thigh
Angling my bumbum towards the camera
And squeezing everything.

Neither pose is very comfy.
But they photograph fiercely, and that’s ok too.
Do you today.

But above all else
Be kind to yourself.
Wobbles and stretchies and all.

 

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A post shared by Danae | Angles + Self Love (@danaemercer)

Fans thanked Mercer for opening up about the realities of social media and not believing everything we see online.

“Thank you. You make me feel so much more confident. When I’m measuring my hips or tummy against people I see online…You put it in the right perspective,” shared a follower.

“I do love your posts. So important. You do make me feel so much better about lumps and bumps that everyone has, instead of all this fake stuff on social media,” wrote another.

“Thank you for tirelessly working to show the discrepancies between Instagram and reality. It’s so important, especially for young people, to know that their bodies are ok and normal no matter what shape they take,” commented a fan.