by Megan Leavy
Have you gone to take a selfie recently and thought…this would look better with a filter? Trust me, you’re not alone. Filters on social media have become increasingly popular. 1 out of 5 Americans who have used social media have used a beauty filter to change their appearance. Among these, 13% say they often used them. The filters allow us to change our features to create a more symmetrical face, larger lips, a tiny nose, or big beautiful eyes. But, we have to ask ourselves the question--are the use of beauty filters for fun or are they hurting us??
What led to filters becoming so popular in the first place? We can first look to social media influencers with millions of followers who create and adopt trends for the masses. Few people have more impact on social media and creating beauty trends than the Kardashians. With a social media following of over 800 million, this family is known for promoting “perfect” looks, big lips, flat stomachs, and large derrieres. They have promoted weight loss products and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on regular glam and beauty “treatments.” It’s no surprise they frequently use beauty filters for their stories and posts to appear flawless. Kylie Jenner, with the largest following, regularly uses filters in all of her stories which is consumed by millions of young foll0wers. Recently, Khole Kardashian had an unedited photo that was accidently shown on social media. Her team worked quickly to retract the imperfect image, and her family even went to legal lengths to stop the photo from being circulated. The Kardashians have made it clear there is little to no space for imperfections in their heavily promoted “perfect” beauty world.
So how are the Kardashians and other influencers who promote beauty filters affecting us? Today, 47% of social media users ages 18-29 have used a beauty filter and 33% ages 30-44. The regular adaption and time spent looking at filters is in fact having a very negative affect. It can lead to poor mood, lack of sleep and mental wellness issues. It’s also having a very alarming impact on our youth. 32 % of teen girls who were interviewed said Instagram and filters made them feel worse about their bodies. Even more troubling is that 13% of girls who reported suicidal thoughts traced them back to instragram. Due to this ever growing problem, there are now new terms for these types of dysmorphia called “snapchatdysmorphia” or “selfie dysmorphia.” Clearly, we have done more harm than good by making beauty filters the norm.
Unfortunately, it would be easy for use to place blame on celebrities like the Kardasians who have used beauty filters and promoted unrealistic beauty standards. However, the Kardashians are not alone. Many influencers including JLO, the real housewives, Victoria Beckham, etc. are all guilty of using beauty filters. Also, what would a trend be if not for the adaptors (or in this case--us the public) and popular brands who are also choosing to regularly use filters. 39% of us do not find beauty filters to be troubling and many popular brands have promoted celebrities and content that use filters. We as a population have chosen to make beauty filters and these realistic standards now the “norm.”It is up to us to also realize it causes real life trauma and problems and especially for our youth. Just as we embraced the trend, we can choose to show a more realistic and honest version of ourselves.
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