Danica Patrick’s Instagram account garners lots of attention. One recent post, however, stood out among the pack.
Back on June 20, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver shared side-by-side body photos that, while seemingly taken at the same, looked noticeably different. Patrick accompanied the post with a message reminding her followers to not let other people’s seemingly perfect pictures discourage them, as those photos often are manipulated and/or misleading.
So why did the post hit home for so many people?
“I think there’s a yearning in the world for real,” Patrick recently told PEOPLE. “People really want to know the truth.
” … (Social media)Â gives me the opportunity for it to come straight from me and be real. I follow tons of people on social media who you feel envious of; they have the perfect life or they look perfect all the time, and it just seemed like the right thing to do.”
Patrick uses Instagram to provide an unfiltered glimpse into her busy life; shenanigans on yacht trips, workouts before races and riding tractors on vineyards all are on the table. And while she, and the life she leads, might seem perfect, Patrick wants people to know that things might not always be as they seem.
“We can work out to make ourselves look as good as possible — and there’s nothing wrong with that — but the reality is I can hold a camera out in front of me and turn in a circle until I find the right lighting and find my best angle,” Patrick said. “And I can adjust my clothes to make sure that I just look as good as possible.”
Patrick added: “I think being confident in your own skin is something that is probably one of the longest transition periods in your life that you have to come to grips with.”
That last part might be true. Still, Patrick is doing her best to help facilitate the process for her many fans.
Thumbnail photo via Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports Images
