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Instagram Launched New Camera Effects, So You Can Step-Up Your Thirst Traps Even More

Instagram is really trying to help us sharpen our selfie game. After conceptualizing video chats on the social media platform and rolling out the highly-anticipated IGTV, Instagram outdid its own updates by launching new camera effects (because Insta is the kind of extra we aspire to be).

Bustle reports that Insta basically collaborated with your favorite celebrities, YouTube personalities and influencers to create some new camera effect designs, which essentially means you can support your celeb icons and simultaneously add cute, new effects to your latest pics and videos. After all, we’re always looking for a way to optimize our stan-ships. (Or is the proper term stanning?)

Ariana Grande, Liza Koshy and Baby Ariel are just a few of the accounts that created these star-studded effects. Organizations like BuzzFeed and the NBA also pushed out some designs, according to Elite Daily.

With all the new effects to choose from, we have a few applicable ways to incorporate these effects in your daily selfie routine—because selfies can be a healthy part of our self-care regimen, too.


Liza Koshy’s quirky eyebrow and mustache applique seem like a natural selection for a funny pic of your dog, once you finally bribe him with enough treats to stop moving (it’s okay, Scruffy doesn’t take your social media brand seriously, but we do). However, Koshy’s design could also fit well into your ironic thirst trap photos.

You know what we’re talking about: those thirst traps that you don’t want to come across as blatant thirst traps. But, it’s 2018 and you don’t need a comical hijinks to excuse your seductive photos. If you’re filling yourself and you want your Insta-bae to appreciate your pic, then just take the damn pic.


Once you get over your thirst trap timidness, you can embrace your fullest picture-taking form to produce truly thirst-inducing images—with the help of BuzzFeed’s “Oh Yes!” effects.

It might be branded as a culinary-themed effect, but we’re about pushing boundaries. (That’s what these effects are meant for, right?) And, you don’t need to fake being humble about your sexy pics. You shouldn’t be modest about your thirst trapping ways.

Seriously, Halsey sets thirst traps, and who wouldn’t want to be more like Halsey? You shouldn’t be modest about your thirst baiting ways—just like Instagram shouldn’t be modest about the low-key camera-effect-turned-match-making updates.

With these new effects, Insta is basically a wing woman for single Insta users. (Don’t worry: the Insta AI will be our flower-droid when Aubrey Plaza ~finally~ recognizes our existence and blocks us marries us.)


To avoid thirst trapping burnout (it happens to the best of us), you can use Baby Ariel’s adorably soft effect on your selfies. (Because our normal portrait pics need some love as well.)

If you want to test out any of the aforementioned effects or any of the unmentioned effects, just tap the camera icon at the top left corner of your screen, hit the face icon once you’re in the live-photo op screen, then choose your favorite new effect. Granted, if you want to utilize these celebrity-crafted effects, you need to follow the account that created the camera effect. So, you can’t use Grande’s adorable effect unless you support her (or at least her Instagram ventures).

Forbes notes that there is a loophole that allows you to at least temporarily use the camera effect without following the respective creator of the effect. If you click the “try it” option under the respective username, you can test out the latest camera effect for your latest obligatory food-photo-op and beyond.

Chelsea is the Health Editor and How She Got There Editor for Her Campus. In addition to editing articles about mental health, women's health and physical health, Chelsea contributes to Her Campus as a Feature Writer, Beauty Writer, Entertainment Writer and News Writer. Some of her unofficial, albeit self-imposed, responsibilities include arguing about the Oxford comma, fangirling about other writers' articles, and pitching Her Campus's editors shamelessly nerdy content (at ambiguously late/early hours, nonetheless). When she isn't writing for Her Campus, she is probably drawing insects, painting with wine or sobbing through "Crimson Peak." Please email any hate, praise, tips, or inquiries to cjackscreate@gmail.com