With TikTok's built-in filter, Mia, who lives in the UK, appears on social networks without makeup. Her face was neat, her skin smooth, completely different from her own appearance. After a while, using beauty filters on apps became a habit, until Mia looked in the mirror and didn't recognize her own face.
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| Mia during a TikTok video shoot. Photo: Guardian |
"I just felt so ugly... It was a very scary moment," she told The Guardian.
Mia started using the filter after a video of her unexpectedly went viral on TikTok. "I had a larger appearance in the video. At that time, I weighed about 100 kg, so I was afraid of people commenting on me," she said.
Mia's fear then materializes. When her video hit one million views, offensive comments started pouring in. "I was hated by many people and made rude comments," Mia said. "I cried and felt ugly and disgusting. I'm almost 30 years old and have some control over my emotions. If I were a 10-year-old kid, I wouldn't dare to think the worst."
Currently, there is not enough research on the psychological effects of photo and video filters on social networking platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat... However, according to Dr. Jasmine Fardouly, an expert on child appearance. people at the University of New South Wales, when they can't meet the standards of beauty in real life, many people find satisfaction on the app.
The beauty filters available on TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat often have the same thing as shaping the face and appearance according to the most common standards of beauty in each place that application appears. For example, in Europe, bright and smooth skin, slim face, small and straight nose, full lips are interested, so filters that meet these criteria are also used the most.
In most applications, the terms of use disclaim any responsibility regarding the filter's effect on actual users. Meanwhile, according to Fardouly, the abuse of beauty filters can cause many undesirable consequences.
"Body dissatisfaction is an important predictor of diseases such as eating disorders, depression ... Besides, the problem is also related to the number of people interested in surgery. aesthetics have increased over time", commented Fardouly.
This is what Amy Hall-Hanson went through. The 29-year-old has struggled with a body disorder for many years. However, she never thought about fixing her lips until she used beauty filters for every Snapchat and Instagram photo.
"A few filters make my lips look beautiful and push me to perfect them in real life," she says. "I even tried to bite my lip, look at it in the mirror to feel better. Before I knew about editing apps, I had never done that."
According to Fardouly, there is no simple solution to address the psychological effects of users using beauty filters. However, social platforms also need to do something to minimize potential harm.
"Algorithms can be updated to make filters more diverse and universal. For filters that intentionally alter facial structure or promote overly beautifying ideas, they should be banned. removed from the platform," Fardouly stated.
Instagram and parent company Meta have moved to limit the effect they call "facial change". Instagram's Spark AR tool still allows uploading filters that change face shape, but they no longer appear in the Effects Gallery's category, which users will need to search for.
"Direct effects promoting plastic surgery are not allowed on Instagram," a spokesperson for the platform said. "We want AR effects to be a positive and safe experience for the community, encouraging creators to move towards sharing artistic, playful, and fantasy effects."
Snapchat has no specific restrictions. The company says the app focuses only on private messages and declines to comment on specific cases. Tik Tok also did not comment.
Fardouly said that social media is not necessarily responsible for the so-called "unattainable beauty standards". "It's human nature. Many problems on social media also stem from users' desires and motivations," Fardouly said. "Everyone always wants to present themselves positively in front of others, that's nothing new. The problem is that the platforms don't really provide the tools for users to control themselves."
As for Mia, she realized she was no longer true to herself since taking TikTok, after staring at her "imperfect and somewhat unfamiliar" face in the mirror.
"I feel like everything I post online is a lie. It will continue as long as I use the beauty filter," Mia said. "One day, I woke up and said to myself: If I keep posting something online, I won't use the beauty filter anymore."
Via Guardian
