The couple, who are expecting their third child together, are famous for pranking one another on social media. And already, Reynold’s post has clocked up column inches devoted to the “unflattering” and “candid” photos – an affectionate attempt to “troll” the Gossip Girl star, say many.

Whatever the intention behind the photos, the results are actually quite striking. As Reynold’s colleague, Deadpool director Rob Liefeld, quips in the comments, “There are no bad pictures of @blakelively”. But beyond being funny, the untimed snaps have an unexpected element of poignancy about them.

It’s so unusual to see photos without the requisite polish of Instagram these days. It’s rare in Hollywood terms, yes, but also in real life. When was the last time you scrolled past an off-kilter photo on social media? Someone with their eyes closed, or their head cut off in the frame?

Like all behavioural shifts, this drive towards self-editing has become so ingrained, it’s sometimes hard to grasp how much it has changed the world that we live in. It’s only when we see photos like this that we realise what we’re missing.

These so-called “bad” photos play an important role in our personal histories. They’re part of our narrative, and in their own way, they’re beautiful. But they’re being carefully airbrushed out of our lives; the result of a collective, and mostly subconscious, effort.

That young people, especially girls, are suffering under the guise of online “perfection” is no secret. Yet, as well as the obvious damage, these photos of Lively are a reminder of the subtler cost of nailing the perfect image – one that erodes a moment, and a story, beyond all its original meaning.

Main image: Getty

Blake Lively just reminded us of the art of an imperfect photo