A picture-perfect post from Laura Pausini sparked a spot-the-difference game on social media on Monday, September 7, as users examined it alongside the original.
Their findings led them to allege that the Italian singer and songwriter had digitally altered her appearance.
“The face is rejuvenated by 20 years and the legs slimmed down by 10 years. S**ew body positivity at this point,” one commented.
Bored Panda previously spoke to Dr. Kayla Yellen, a New York-based clinical psychologist, about the potential impact of such practices.
“Being told that the best thing we can do is have our flaws corrected can impact confidence, self-esteem, and self-acceptance,” she said.
Laura Pausini’s latest Instagram post sparked Photoshop and AI accusations
Pausini posed alongside Monza Grand Prix winner Kimi Antonelli, as well as attendees Jannik Sinner and Marco Bezzecchi, on Sunday.
The picture was shared on Instagram by both the singer and Eccellenza Italiana, a startup known for its gourmet grocery brands.
An X user wasted no time creating a side-by-side collage of the snap and pointing out how much more refined the version posted by Pausini appeared.
“She’s unrecognizable in the modified photo,” a critic wrote in response.
“What a clown,” another added.
A third commenter went a step further, claiming her entire feed followed the same pattern, writing, “She plays the part of the simple girl next door, but she’s anything but.”
“What was the need for this in the 50s?” asked a fourth.
Several others, meanwhile, couldn’t get over how much Pausini’s lower half appeared to have been enhanced.
“Even retouched her legs,” one person noted.
“It’s like she remade them. Lord, Photoshop and AI are getting scarier by the day,” another added.
Berke Citak/Unsplash (not the actual photo)
One, moreover, viewed the editing through the lens of the message it could send to children, writing, “She just taught young people who are increasingly teetering between the real and the virtual to be self-conscious.”
A psychologist highlighted the impact of Instagram’s unrealistic standards on children
Dr. Yellen, who specializes in anxiety disorders, personality disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, told Bored Panda that children and teenagers are in “critical periods of development.”
Therefore, messages about non-acceptance and self-image can hit them harder than they do adults, and once these messages reach them, the likelihood that they become “deeply ingrained beliefs that may persist into their later life” is higher.
This could then potentially contribute to “feelings of shame, insecurity and perfectionism.”
The expert credited body-positive influencers, including Zoe Potter, Lauren Hope Krass and Aubrey Graham, for working to counter the unrealistic ideals perpetuated by social media.
“They do an incredible job at reshaping the narrative of what it means to be beautiful, healthy and strong,” she said.
Some argued that the reaction to Laura Pausini’s photo was blown out of proportion
Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
“What a sterile and, above all, hypocritical controversy! You couldn’t care less about the message it sent to young people,” a netizen told Pausini’s detractors, accusing them of being interested only in “creating yet another squabble” about the star.
“The obsessive focus on appearance depends on the self-esteem that each person has of themselves. She can do nothing,” a second wrote.
“I’d like to see the gallery of all the commentators. It’d be hilarious,” challenged a third, while a fourth reminded the masses, “She is a victim of the issues being discussed too.”
Many then pivoted to praising Pausini for the very knees she had enhanced.
Sharing a video of her carrying out a flawless high kick at a concert, one person wrote, “They allow her to do this.”
“Soccer players would d** for the strength,” noted another.
The controversy followed Pausini’s candid admission about social media-induced anxiety
Laura Pausini announced a break from social media in December 2025, saying she had developed an unhealthy obsession with it.
“I was spending too much time in front of the screen, and this was causing me stress and anxiety,” she explained, further revealing that it had caused her to lose sleep too.
“Reconnecting with life is allowing me to feel more serene and more focused, with real people by my side,” she later added.
The singer said she would “touch base every now and then” using her team members’ phones because she also values her fans.
Her message, however, ended with a warning: “Today I logged in for 10 minutes and browsed various social media, read news that didn’t concern me, and I found unbridled hatred against everything and everyone. I was scared.
“Be careful not to fall into this trap. Your health is worth more and deserves more,” she said.
“Embarrassing,” a netizen said about Pausini’s editing
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