Meet the fitness guru who’s gained 1.3m followers posting ‘honest’ photos on Instagram

Anna Victoria is on a campaign to make us all ‘love ourselves for who we are’


All of us have our good angles and bad angles. Taking selfies from below is an obvious no-no, as you see 12 chins suddenly appear on the screen. I have realised I’ve taken conscious steps to portray my ‘good side’ in front of a camera. Throughout life we are conditioned to learn how to stand, pose or sit in a way that makes us ‘look better’ in a photo.

If there’s one person who has perfected this, it’s Instagram fitness enthusiast, Anna Victoria, who recently released a post which sums up the truth behind selfie-taking.

Even though both photos are completely real and unedited, Anna has proved how pictures can not always be so truthful. It’s so common to see people flood their feeds with perfected pouts, airbrushed bodies and toned stomachs, but realistically, it’s all about the pose. I asked her some questions about her lifestyle, any advice she has and for her words of wisdom.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPV9-cUA09D/?taken-by=annavictoria

Hi Anna, do you consider yourself as a model or a fitness coach, or neither?

“I’m definitely not a model, so I would consider myself a fitness coach. I am a Certified Personal Trainer and I have helped thousands of women not only achieve their dream body, but more importantly come to love themselves for who they are, before and after any transformation.”

How many times a week do you exercise?

“I follow my Fit Body Guides which is three days a week of Strength Training Circuits and three days a week of Cardio and Ab circuits.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQdhl7eA7qB/?taken-by=annavictoria&hl=en

What motivated you to post the two sides of posing, and the truth behind them?

“I was motivated by seeing countless young girls and women of all ages commenting on my ‘posed’ photos saying they could never look like me. When we see these images of women online, in the best lighting at the best angle and totally flexed and posed, we tend to think that’s how they are all the time, but they’re not. Or at least, I can only speak for myself, I’m not always posed and have unflattering angles as well.

“It’s not that I think unflattering angles are bad, they’re perfectly normal and human. I just wanted to show a different side and give a different perspective for all the women who may think my body is unattainable. It’s definitely not and while I’ve worked hard for my body, I am posing in those photos and really anyone can work as hard as I have and pose and look just like I do.”

Have you had any comments from fans and followers that have made you feel proud?

“I have. The comments that make me the most proud are those that say they’ve struggled with eating disorders or body dysmorphia, and that my sitting down photos have helped them learn how to love themselves for who they are and not to fight against themselves.

“Some have even said my photos have helped save their life. That’s not something I take lightly and clearly there’s a need for transparency on social media, the lives of young girls and women everywhere depend on it.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BO3RA5Egb-y/?taken-by=annavictoria&hl=en

Do you find your fan base to be just women, or are male figures just as involved?

“It’s mainly women. I definitely talk with a female tone and women respond well to that. To be honest, I am happy for men to follow me as well as long as they genuinely are looking for inspiration and not just another fitness girl to follow.

“I intentionally don’t show a lot of skin for that reason as well, every once in a while I also want to show off my progress, but I want to do it in a way that is inspiring to women and not just attractive to men.”

What do you think is the strength in proving your true self across social media?

“The strength, believe it or not, is just showing that it’s okay to be human and love ourselves for who we are.

“I don’t ever want someone to feel they don’t deserve to love themselves or to be loved just because they have belly rolls, or cellulite, or stretch marks, or all those things that EVERYONE has. Unfortunately many women feel undeserving because they don’t live up to society’s and social media’s beauty standards.

“Clearly, there has been an amazing response to my photos and this is a sign that society is asking for something other than the most perfect photos, they want to know it’s okay to be human.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BONLzA4AgVw/?taken-by=annavictoria

Have you come across any hate mail or disagreements since you posted your truthful posing posts?

“There’s always negativity. The most common negative response is that I shouldn’t be complaining, but I’m not complaining. I’m providing a different perspective for the millions of women that follow me since they’re so used to seeing me only posed.

“Others say my “rolls” are so tiny that again, I have nothing to complain about but I’m not saying my rolls are big. It’s mostly people who miss the point or aren’t open to seeing the point.”

If you were stuck on a desert island and could only choose one food and one gym equipment, what would they be and why?

“Greek yogurt, frozen blueberries, granola – more than one item, but that’s my favourite snack. My gym equipment would be dumbbells.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPq7liogCyH/?taken-by=annavictoria&hl=en

Who inspires you?

“The FBG [Fit Body Guide] community definitely inspires me. It’s a group of women who follow my guides and have created an online support system and I see their posts each day, they talk about their ups and their downs and cheer each other on.

“They’re students, mothers, business women, or all of the above! Every day they’re working towards being their best and that’s what inspires me.”

If there is one inspirational sentence you could tell all women today, what would it be?

“If I can do it, you can too. This sentence is one of my favourites because often times we feel like seeing results is impossible but they’re not.

“I’m not a model, I wasn’t an athlete, I’m just a normal person who has made fitness a part of my life, without letting it take over my life. And if I could do it, anyone could.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPwDKfYA7ed/?taken-by=annavictoria&hl=en

Whilst flicking through Anna’s feed, comments from her followers prove how she inspires people to stick to reality and to never be ashamed of themselves. Anna captions the following post saying, “I’m sharing this because I just received an email from a 16 year old girl that said I am the only person she follows that actually made her feel good about herself. ”

Even with the trend of healthy eating, dietary changes, fitness phenomenon, Anna has proved that sometimes what you see on Instagram is not always real. Most importantly, to be happy with who you are.