Women are defiantly sharing unfiltered pictures of themselves as part of a viral Instagram movement

As problematic as it can be, you've got to admit that social media is still pretty great. It's the best place to find a decent looking brunch spot in your area, you can keep in touch with friends who live halfway across the world instantaneously, and thanks to Instagram and its endless filtering opportunities, you can make an average photo look incredible.

However, the endless amount of selfies and #candid pics we upload of ourselves can also be kind of harmful. For the most part, none of them are actually candid. There are tactical angles involved, pre-pic hair and makeup touch-ups to be done, and if you think that only one version of any shot was taken then ooh boy are you wrong.

The average Insta-girl will have dozens of images to choose from, selecting the winning pic based on minuscule details like the angle of the chin tilt and whether her hair looks bouncy enough. Then there's the lengthy editing process, where certain body parts might be cropped, dark circles removed and lighting and contrast adjusted so that she looks like an angelic kind of being.

One Instagrammer by the name of Nià, however, has pointed out that it's important to step away from these kinds of Instagram habits. She's started a viral movement all about posting unfiltered, no-makeup selfies, and has highlighted the importance of doing so.

Firstly, it reminds people who might come across such a snap that most pictures on Instagram are not unfiltered, and that the women in them are most probably wearing heavy makeup. But also, it's good for the self, as it reminds you to love yourself in your own natural skin.

Nià's Instagram handle is @niathelight, and she's got a following of nearly half a million people thanks to her pro-fro and body-positivity posts. Her #myrealselfseptember challenge urges people to share pictures of themselves without makeup, filters and strategically flattering angles.

She shared a post at the start of the month to raise awareness of the challenge.

"I think Social Media is a beautiful space but it’s so easy for us to hide behind filters and editing Apps creating a version of ourselves that we may not exactly be," she wrote.

"I used to heavily blur out my stretch marks and smooth out the acne on my face that when I’d go on my page, I wouldn’t recognise my own skin and my own body. I’ll be uploading pictures this month sharing my all natural self. I’d LOVE for you to join by using the hashtag #MyRealSelfSeptember. Can’t wait to meet you all through this journey!"

The movement has inspired many of Nià's followers, as well as others who have come across the viral hashtag, to post their own #myrealselfseptember selfies. As you can imagine, it's pretty inspiring to see so many girls willing to bare their bare faces to the internet.

Take a look at the uploads so far:

More of this please!