Instagram is the one platform on which we're free to promote our most aspirational selves. It's the same reason we prefer texting to talking — it gives us time to curate our response, free from the pressures of existing IRL.
But there was a time — a time kids today will never remember — when Instagram was a free-for-all, full of Kelvin filters, borders and that golden “12 people liked your photo” notification that would strike fear in the hearts of 2018 teens.
Posts were never archived or deleted, Facetune didn't exist and nobody thought about anything they posted, even celebs:
Selena
The hipster glasses
https://www.instagram.com/p/jgXOdCOjOu/
https://www.instagram.com/p/lQVflqujA9/
The artsy black and white
https://www.instagram.com/p/ghyA6wOjE5/
https://www.instagram.com/p/p4jeSYOjHq/
https://www.instagram.com/p/k5n8z-OjF-/
The sexy black and red
https://www.instagram.com/p/kjXw9JOjN8/
https://www.instagram.com/p/nDyIL_OjMd/
https://www.instagram.com/p/n6vI1jOjGe/
The hippie
https://www.instagram.com/p/j_AqtPujFx/
https://www.instagram.com/p/iOE9esOjNn/
https://www.instagram.com/p/g98RO2OjBI/
The Kelvin beach vibes
https://www.instagram.com/p/gBcRUaujDK/
The blue and green selfie
https://www.instagram.com/p/krwl2QOjFx/
https://www.instagram.com/p/ikJCnGujIp/
Gigi Hadid
The hipster glasses
https://www.instagram.com/p/aWHeBZDCao/
https://www.instagram.com/p/fYL4EejCS0/
https://www.instagram.com/p/VsMwl7DCX5/
The all red filter
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ve_U3xjCTs/
The random body parts
https://www.instagram.com/p/fSeUJ5jCbL/
https://www.instagram.com/p/d2K0IajCak/
The horrible edits
https://www.instagram.com/p/TD4D1VDCYy/
https://www.instagram.com/p/MeRUr4jCRx/
https://www.instagram.com/p/UNvZMkjCV8/
The blue and green
https://www.instagram.com/p/TtRjF7DCUJ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/G2pvVqDCSN/
The duck-face
https://www.instagram.com/p/KtI3Q8DCRf/
https://www.instagram.com/p/UXdb-/
Bella Hadid
The artsy black and white
https://www.instagram.com/p/ZfJHu_ENth/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Z6ZJaskNk0/
https://www.instagram.com/p/bfnQy6ENgO/
The horrible photo edits
https://www.instagram.com/p/YmgSwXENp6/
https://www.instagram.com/p/dmfew0kNhv/
https://www.instagram.com/p/bzCK9zkNsZ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/XWlkMHkNjQ/
The close-up selfie
https://www.instagram.com/p/cLK-RNkNqe/
https://www.instagram.com/p/KL7iHFkNku/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Z4OuyXENjF/
https://www.instagram.com/p/b8SJgLkNtK/
The blurry friends
https://www.instagram.com/p/H2yXCykNjs/
https://www.instagram.com/p/NhnxxuENgt/
Rihanna
The hipster glasses
https://www.instagram.com/p/b5DGgchMyd/
The 'GO TO SLEEP ROBYN' series
https://www.instagram.com/p/McbBSEhM0T/
https://www.instagram.com/p/1kjGHDhM5z/
The faded look
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ito3k2hM8w/
https://www.instagram.com/p/u4pKk_hM12/
https://www.instagram.com/p/g2luLGhM21/
The #filters
https://www.instagram.com/p/wob3Z2BM8g/
https://www.instagram.com/p/IVouKVBM72/
https://www.instagram.com/p/I8294phM3A/
https://www.instagram.com/p/JS_PXSBMyw/
https://www.instagram.com/p/IwrkU-hM3v/
https://www.instagram.com/p/IMvdvMhM0A/
https://www.instagram.com/p/vl_z0pBM7d/
The blurry bestie
https://www.instagram.com/p/x9Lo_UhM9C/
Kendall Jenner
The hipster glasses
https://www.instagram.com/p/fY23xlDo56/
https://www.instagram.com/p/M1tNENDoz6/
The #OOTD
https://www.instagram.com/p/NKOH0jjoyA/
https://www.instagram.com/p/L8_snGjoxS/
https://www.instagram.com/p/LLxRaxjowz/
The close up eye
https://www.instagram.com/p/LGuHnADo3K/
The summer throwback
https://www.instagram.com/p/IqQNhqjo5N/
The horrible edits
https://www.instagram.com/p/XMFO6zjoyU/
https://www.instagram.com/p/Kn8rL_Do_j/
https://www.instagram.com/p/HXkOvRDo5w/
The car pic
https://www.instagram.com/p/MPzvyaDo5C/
The fedora
https://www.instagram.com/p/bMldN2Do4D/
The duck-face
https://www.instagram.com/p/h4nRO/
https://www.instagram.com/p/P20dMADo33/
https://www.instagram.com/p/LRnSvJjo2Z/
https://www.instagram.com/p/QWAOOsjoyH/
Kylie Jenner
The hipster glasses
https://www.instagram.com/p/mZPZQ/
https://www.instagram.com/p/icTUx/
The hippie child
https://www.instagram.com/p/TJ0k-/
https://www.instagram.com/p/dkGbngHGgs/
The #OOTD
https://www.instagram.com/p/STvK85nGv7/
The tragic nail photo
https://www.instagram.com/p/LhAAv5HGos/
The duck-face
https://www.instagram.com/p/KI-3t5HGvL/
https://www.instagram.com/p/JArgOunGsl/
The photo of a photo
https://www.instagram.com/p/IC42NFHGn4/
The mirror selfie
https://www.instagram.com/p/InS814nGgN/
https://www.instagram.com/p/QloyOTnGmx/
https://www.instagram.com/p/GwpGd8nGuk/
And of course, the 'guitar lesson'
https://www.instagram.com/p/M_iX-ZHGg7/
May all of these photos live on in infamy.
@carolinephinney
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