Drew Barrymore's New Instagram Series #TheWayItLooksToUs Will Make You Think

It's completely natural to post cute pics, or cheerful sayings, or thumbs-up emojis, or fabulous dishes you've whipped up on social media, right? After all, everyone wants to look good to others, people are wired for approval from their fellow humans. But some stars want to reverse the online bragging trend. Drew Barrymore's new parenting challenge will you make you think — and it's all in the spirit of making social media's depiction of parenthood a bit more real. As Britain's Independent newspaper reported, the Santa Clarita Diet star is intent on letting fans know that her life is far from red carpet picture-perfect.

Her new Instagram project, which she is calling #TheWayItLooksToUs, is designed to make you question — and get more real — regarding the messages that people absorb and give off as busy parents and modern women.

"I showed up at my kid’s school, a little bit late with her this morning, and I was in sweatpants and I felt like I didn’t look like a proper mom. I started beating up on myself. It’s so typical of what parents do to themselves," she related in the inaugural post.

“I invite you in to present the way it’s supposed to look to you, and the way it really is. I’m going to present the same thing right back.”

"I love what you’re doing here hopefully people will get the message to be kind and live and let live...[P]eople need to be free spirits...and I hope that people get this from your message especially younger girls," one fan replied while another posted, "Inspired by this and you!"

Barrymore, who, according to IMDb has more entertainment projects in the pipeline, has also been visible launching her Flower Cosmetics beauty line in the UK, as per a recent interview with British Vogue.

In other words, she has all the stats and qualifications to be as braggy as the rest of Instagram can often be (she's earned it!), which is why her new experiment is so interesting. In the post for the next video in the series, Barrymore wrote, "KIDS...We are told to make it look a certain way. But it doesn’t always..." alongside a video showing her kids having gotten powdered sugar all over the floor.

This one rang bells for users. "I love how you are so honest about life, raising kids, etc. You keep [it] real for the rest of us out here in the non-Hollywood world. Thanks," a follower responded.

The next segment, #TheWayItLooksToUs: LIFE featured two very different pics: One with Barrymore smiling in full makeup, gorgeous styled hair, and red lipstick; the next photo, messy, makeup-free, and crying.

"What I propose [is] some days are great and beautiful ... Some days are difficult and not so pretty ... Sometimes life can just get to you! But we cry and then pick ourselves up and put one foot in front of the other ... Can anyone relate?" she captioned the photos.

Another segment dealt with fitness, with Barrymore noting that Instagram makes you think everyone looks a certain way, but that for her, health "takes so much work," noting a recent 25-pound weight loss.

In perhaps the most touching segment, the star gets real about her divorce from Will Kopelman, with whom she shares daughters Olive and Frankie, according to HuffPost.

"Once upon a time... I remember reading an article that said I had gotten my happy ending after all," the actress captioned a beautiful picture of her and her ex on the red carpet.

"Looking at this picture, it sure looks that way. And then ... our plans change and our dreams are adjusted. But that doesn’t mean that every second wasn’t worth it. And if that DeLorean time machine pulled up every day, I would do it all over again. After all, I did get my dream. 2 healthy girls."

The actress's final segment (at least so far), showed her daughters doing a play and more of the powdered-sugar mess, next to which she wrote: "Sometimes what seems like the biggest mess can be your greatest memory."

Barrymore clearly has no interest in being worshipped from afar, or being the object of celebrity jealousy. She's much more interested in showing fans and followers that she's a real person with a real life, as messy or complicated as that can sometimes be. And fans are loving it. Thanks, Drew.

After a very frustrating first birth experience, this Deaf mother wanted a change. Will the help of two Deaf doulas give the quality communication and birth experience this mom wants and deserves? Watch Episode Four of Romper's Doula Diaries, Season Two, below, and visit Bustle Digital Group's YouTube page for more episodes.