Posing Like Liza Koshy On Instagram Made Me Feel Both Silly & Powerful

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Liza Koshy is one of the coolest people on the planet. She's incredibly confident, charming, and funny, making her one of the most intriguing people to follow online. Her Instagram, in particular, is a playground of carefree photos, wacky videos, and wild captions. Now, I am nowhere near as goofy as the mega-star, but I thought it'd be fun to let let loose and try posing like Liza Koshy on Instagram. Her silly yet powerful stances are a nice departure from my signature hand-on-the-hip look or any of my mediocre attempts at smizing.

Before taking the pictures, I knew I had to prepare for a few things. For example, I knew my anxiety would probably make an appearance if things got too awkward — and considering some of the poses Koshy strikes, I figured it'd get weird at some point. To preemptively combat this, I vowed to focus my energy on simply having a good time while doing this challenge.

Koshy has a running theme on her Instagram account: She DGAF. Since my account doesn't really give off that vibe, I had to find an interesting way to work these different photos into my profile, which is what I ended up struggling with the most. In the end, I learned pairing an interesting pose with a cool backdrop and a stylish outfit would make it all work.

Pose 1: Power Squat

I took the "go hard or go home" mindset when it came to my first Koshy Power Pose, so I opted for her infamous (and incredibly advanced) high-kick-squat combo.

In her photo, Koshy is wearing high heels, so I did the same. And let me tell you, it's no easy feat. It took me a while to figure out how to stay upright on a single foot while snapping this picture in the middle of a pedestrian walkway, where people were staring at me with "hurry TF up" expressions on their faces. Along with all that going on, I also struggled to replicate Koshy's hand placement. For some reason, it just wasn't working for me. See my failed first attempt for proof:

However, once I got the squat down and re-created the shot with my own hand placement, I was halfway there. The finishing touch was to fearlessly own the high kick. To do that, I simply embraced how cool I imagined it was going to look and just let loose. Eventually, I got the shot.

Once it was time to upload my photo to the 'gram, though, I was apprehensive. Would my friends and followers like it? (Or even get it?) This was certainly out of character for me.

In the end, though, I got supportive comments like, "Skills," "You're just gonna be that cool, huh?" "I don't know if I love the pose more or the strength of your kneecap!" and my personal favorite, "Megan Thee Stallion knees I see." Yes, I got compared to Thee Stallion.

Pose 2: Back Bend

Next, I pushed my photo limits even further by attempting one of Koshy's strangest poses: the back bend.

It's simple to do if you've got a great back, but I haven't stretched in literal years, so it was rough. I also felt a little awko-taco attempting the pose, since I decided to do it at the Louis Vuitton Exhibit in Beverly Hills. Let's just say I wasn't the only one trying to get an Instagram photo there. But when I saw a pair of mannequins (who were, interestingly enough, dressed very similarly to me), I knew found the perfect backdrop to recreate Koshy's unique pose.

Here's my first attempt:

I tried to get really low like Koshy, but I kept losing my balance and eventually decided to use my arm to help me out, striking a sort of fainting pose, because art...

TBH, I felt extremely nervous about uploading this picture because the pose was so strange. Luckily, I had the perfect caption to help the photo make sense.

Pose 3: Single-Leg Power Stance

For my third and final Koshy Power Pose, I went in for the single-leg stance. I knew with my limited flexibility it wouldn't look quite like her picture, but I did what I could.

After previously attempting the two other poses, I didn't feel embarrassed while trying to get this shot at all; I actually felt pretty comfortable. Looking at the original photo, it's clear Koshy commanded the shot, all the while showing off her killer boots — so I simply did the same.

I tried to get my leg up as high a possible, but since my dancer days are long over, there were multiple failed attempts.

In the end, I got a solid, amusing shot and that's what I was going for. I still felt a little odd uploading it to the 'gram, but again, I just wrote a caption I thought could help pull it off, and voila:

Final Thoughts

Pulling off a Koshy Power Pose takes a mix of courage and an unapologetic attitude. While I felt a bit ridiculous taking some of these shots, it was kind of freeing to take quirky photos rather than "cute" ones.

Overall, I found myself more nervous to upload the pics than I was to actually take them, but the reactions were super positive. Based on all the comments, my followers thought the poses were awesome. So, the next time I think my 'gram is looking a little boring, I'll see what new, unique pose Koshy is striking on her own page and use it to spice up my own.