A TikTok user has urged people to be happy with what they look like in reality, rather than focusing on what they look like through a new filter that presents a ‘toxic’ version of themselves.
Here she is sharing a message that we'd all do well to listen to:
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Body positive influencer Joanna Kenny shared a video with her followers warning against the false reality presented by the ‘Bold Glamour’ filter, which gives the appearance of a full make-up and gets rid of natural imperfections in the skin.
Since it was launched recently, the filter has been used more than 8.6 million times, but Kenny shared a video showing what she really looks like with and without it as she continues on her ‘self-acceptance’ journey.
Her video has been viewed six million times, with most people contributing to a genuinely wholesome comments section to tell her that she looks beautiful without the filter.
Honestly, we could all just be nice to each other online - another world is possible, folks.
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What’s more, she showed off the seemingly advanced nature of the filter, which barely registered any change as she moved her hands across her face.
The TikToker said: “It’s crazy. I don’t look anything like this, but the filter itself looks natural like there’s some skin texture there,
“I don’t want to say this about myself, but I actually look ugly when I take this filter off. I have done a lot of work to unlearn that I owe prettiness to anyone.”
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She added: “I don’t think my brain knows how to deal with looking like this one minute, and then this, the next,
“So here’s a reminder for anyone who needs it.
“Filtered skin is not a skin type, and we’re already the perfect edit.”
Experts have backed up her point, explaining how these filters contribute to a problem that continues to grow day by day, affecting people at young ages.
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Speaking to Marie Claire, Dr Phillippa Diedrichs – a professor of psychology – said: “The Bold Beauty filter reinforces unrealistic and narrowly defined beauty standards that are unachievable without digital distortion, extensive styling and make-up, and perhaps even more invasive cosmetic procedures.
“They also often reinforce euro-centric and hyper-sexualised beauty standards and therefore may perpetuate appearance-based prejudice and the objectification of women."
Research from cosmetic brand Dove also found that 85 percent of girls had used a retouching app by the time they were 13-years-old.
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Dove’s Global Vice President Firdaous El Honsali said: “Dove Self-Esteem Project(opens in new tab) research shows that more than half of girls say they can’t live up to the beauty standards projected on social media, and 1 in 2 girls say toxic beauty content on social media causes low self-esteem—this filter illustrates why young people feel this way.”
Just remember, whether it’s through a filter or through the things that people post – social media is not real life, and where possible, it’s worth remembering that you don’t need to live up to the standards that it sets.
A spokesperson for TikTok said: "Creative effects offer our community a creative medium for self expression. As with all effects on TikTok, videos featuring the Bold Glamour effect are disclosed with a tag directly on the video, so users can transparently see which effects are used."
They added that all effects used on videos are tagged as such, detailing the effect used.
If you have been affected by the contents of this article, contact Mind on 0300 123 3393 between 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday (except bank holidays). Alternatively, you can visit their website here.
Topics: TikTok, Technology
Tom Wood