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Filter Vs. Reality

Every day millions of people are trying to be fit into thousands of trends. In this virtual voyage of social media, everyone must stand out as an exceptional personality. "#nofilterss, #nomakeup"- these buzz words are now a prevalent scenario on every social media account. But how does the reeling beauty of the filter influence the real users' mental health? In this blog, let's shed some light on that! 

A journal in 2017 researched this topic, and they saw that the so-called beauty filters manipulate 60-65% of images on social media accounts. So it begs the question: what effects can be noticed on the users who are in constant competition to achieve some unattainable beauty goals? Sometimes it's easy to feel insecure, and especially in a place where you see a bunch of picture-perfect selfies or portraits, it becomes tough for you to not focus on your flaws.

After Effects

But, according to several types of research, beauty filters negatively impact most users who come out with body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, complexion issues, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. 

Also, manipulating selfies with beauty filters are causing more significant issues like body shaming or body image issues. Most people, especially the young generation, are now learning to put filters to look "perfect" and "beautiful" in that picture. Thanks to the celebrity culture, people are now going to beauty clinics to get certain features that look like their favourite celebrities, such as a jawline like kylie, lips like Kardashian, Bella Hadid's eyes, etc.

Some doctors also agree that few filters could be light-hearted, but some give people out of world expectations. Especially the image-altering filters with certain enhanced beautify features can narrow down the idea of "beauty and perfection." 

But is there any solution? 

Of course, there is! When there is a will, there is gotta be a way. First and foremost, we need to remember that humans have created filters; filters can't make humans. Also, the creators and the influencers have to be more careful about using some out-of-the-box filters to set up unexpected beauty standards. Robust regulations around the marketing and hype of beauty filters can control the matter.