Carrie Bickmore shares the real story behind viral ‘Instagram vs reality’ photo
Carrie Bickmore has been very open about her experiences as a parent, especially since the birth of baby number three, Addie.
‘Instagram vs Reality’
Not long after Addie’s birth, Carrie shared an ‘Instagram vs Reality‘ update to remind us all that things aren’t always as they seem on Instagram.
Now, in an interview with Charlie Pickering on The Weekly, Carrie explained why she felt it was important to share both photos.
“When Chris, my partner, took the original photo I was asleep,” she explained.
“I had in my head how it was going to look, and then when he showed it to me I was like, ‘Oh my god, is that what I look like?’ I was mortified. I was pale; I was drained; I was exhausted. I had a four-week-old baby, that’s what I should have looked like.”
“I felt disappointed in myself”
Not happy with the snap, Carrie asked Chris for a do-over. However, after viewing the second image, she realised there was something important missing.
“When I looked at it, I realised there was not a single bit of the emotion of the original moment, and I think I felt disappointed in myself that I hadn’t liked the first moment because that was me and my newborn baby girl in a moment together,” Carrie explained.
The original images were shared on Instagram back in February with the caption: “INSTAGRAM verses REALITY (swipe right).
“1st pic was taken on a flattering angle, with some props, some casual hand positioning, some clever cropping and a nice little filter added.
“The 2nd was the real moment captured without my knowledge a couple of weeks after Adelaide was born before I woke up and suggested we take a nice shot.”
Mums loved it!
“Well done to you! Thank you for sharing something real, relatable and unfiltered. You may have thought it was an unflattering pic, but I thought it was honest and beautiful,” commented one person.
“Love you so much for posting this,” another commenter wrote. “The sneaky photographer is equally responsible for the awesomeness.”
Carrie Bickmore, partner Chris Walker, 11-year-old Ollie and three-year-old Evie welcomed baby Adelaide to the family in December of 2018.
Keep ’em coming, Carrie. The more mums sharing real, honest images of what motherhood looks like, the better.
