TRIGGER WARNING: this article contains discussions of eating disorders, body dysmorphia and mental health struggles.
“It is a simply constant inundation of the slim, the flawless, the beautiful – making anything otherwise seem insignificant and ugly. It’s promoting a level of unattainable ‘beauty’ which unfortunately people try to reach out to.” Anon
I remember the first time ‘filters’ became available on Snapchat, the dog filter and rainbow filter being particularly popular among my school peers. Back then, filters were funny, unserious and – most importantly – obvious. Nowadays, it’s increasingly difficult to distinguish between a photo that is edited and one that isn’t, and beauty filters are becoming more subtle than ever. Whilst most filters are usually more detectable than photo editing, there is still something innately disturbing about seeing yourself in a completely different way – a way that is widely considered more conventionally attractive. Even filters that are supposed to be fun and lighthearted often still blur your skin, shrink your nose, slim your jawline and plump up your lips, and there’s definitely a certain type of look that the majority of filters achieve because of this.
To make matters worse, most of the influencers and celebrities we encounter online not only edit their pictures to conform to these toxic and unreachable ideals, but also undergo copious amounts of cosmetic surgery, too, in an attempt to adhere to the idea of ‘perfection’ indicated by these beauty standards. Even though you can objectively say to yourself when you see these sorts of images of celebrities, “This is not real; no one is perfect”, it’s often not enough to avoid being impacted by seeing them, even if it’s subconsciously. The idea of an ‘ideal look’, that is completely impossible to reach naturally, makes it extremely frustrating and mentally draining to form a positive relationship with yourself.
To investigate this problem further, and to see how it has had a real-life effect on people, I decided to send out an anonymous questionnaire to all my Instagram followers, asking them whether they have been personally impacted by the use of editing and filters on social media. Although I had some prior expectations of the types of responses I would get, I was utterly heartbroken to read so many shared experiences in how detrimental this increasing problem has been, and continues to be, on people’s mental health, body image, and self-esteem. Whilst reading this article, you’ll encounter some of the real-life responses I received.
“Beauty filters and photo editing has become so normalised on social media platforms, especially from celebrities, that it is seen as abnormal to post a regular unedited picture/selfie. It has set high standards of what beauty is and creates a culture where people feel afraid to post a photo if their skin has blemishes or their body is not as ‘perfectly’ shaped as celebrities.” Anon
In order to understand the current situation with online beauty standards and the impact of filters and editing, you really have to understand that female bodies have consistently gone through social trends throughout history. From the military, square-shouldered 40s to the curvy, pin-up 50s; the slender 60s to the slim 70s; the athletic, more muscular 80s to the ‘heroin-chic’ 90s; the low-rise, visible abs of the 2000s to the curvy, big-bottomed 2010s and, finally, now, the ‘BBL’ era of the 2020s, you start to wonder when will women be able to just exist — naturally — without experiencing the relentless cycle of trends attached to their bodies, and subsequently how their beauty is perceived and valued. You’ve only got to look at the Kardashians to see the impact of trends of female bodies in action, nowadays, as recently they have been in the headlines for going from their curvy, ‘BBL’ physique to extremely slim – Kim seemingly no longer to have the full bust and derrière she was so famous for, now with a far smaller chest and much more slender form. The fact these celebrities can transform so quickly between one body type and another elucidates just how artificial and unobtainable these trends are- nobody can immediately go from a Jessica Rabbit lookalike to practically the complete opposite without the aid of a surgeon. Even celebrities who manage to follow these unobtainable beauty ideals, in this way, still edit their photos hugely.
“I commonly worry about how my skin and body looks as I rarely see it on other’s posts and it’s not only celebrities who do this, friends and family do it which makes it frustrating as they aren’t being real to themselves, it makes me feel like I need to change and it’s sad as they feel like they need to as well.” Anon
The unobtainable nature surrounding the culture of photo editing and beauty filters is at the core of how detrimental it is to our perception of beauty, both externally and internally. Existing in a society where the widely accepted definition of beauty is something unreachable – and, for the most part, fake, is a heartbreaking realisation, but one that is not unfounded. Shockingly, videos can now easily be edited too, famous models having been exposed for using practically undetectable slimming filters in videos posted to their social media. Platforms like TikTok are notorious for these types of videos, and now with beauty filters also being automatically applied to the videos unless you manually choose to remove them, it’s hard to feel that your original, natural self is good enough.
It’s not surprising, then, to learn that the NHS is treating a record number of young people for eating disorders. Although eating disorders are extremely complex and can develop for many different reasons, not necessarily caused by issues related to body image, there’s no denying that the absolute flood of edited pictures and videos, as well as the indoctrination of what ‘beauty’ should look like, has drastically impacted people’s relationships with their bodies.
“When I was younger it definitely [affected me]. I thought I had to be skinny to be beautiful. Naturally, I am a curvy woman anyway, so this was an unattainable ideal.” Anon
I wonder if, as this is such a widely shared experience, we need to openly talk about this more with one another, being more honest about how it affects us. Reading the collection of anonymous responses sent to me made me appreciate just how many people have been impacted by the use of filters and editing, but also how similar the experiences were between people’s answers. Despite this, I was left questioning if so many people would have reached out if the answers weren’t anonymous. The best thing we can do together to combat the impact of this fake world of beauty is to communicate more openly about how it impacts us and, also, regularly remind ourselves that what we see online is not real. Least of all, it is hugely important to remember that before people’s photos have been edited or a beauty filter has been applied – or even if the images they post aren’t edited at all – they will still be posting their best angle and the best photo.
“Seeing edited images and filters certainly led me to feel less confident in my own skin and shape, and palpably feel the pressure to look a specific and desirable way. The amount of self-judgement and criticism which goes into choosing and uploading images to share onto my social media platforms is a process which leads to a lot of personal anxiety. It’s ultimately frustrating to me that we are still trapped in a mindset where each flaw should be hidden or that we should compare one another. I try, then, to look at content which makes me feel empowered and celebrates all types of beauty.” Anon
I wish I could offer a completely optimistic solution to this immense societal problem we’re facing, but I’m not going to sit here and pretend that I know or understand how we can go about reversing the damage done. But — saying that — I genuinely believe with more open communication and honesty, and taking steps to post more natural photos of ourselves, even though I know it’s challenging, we can all start the ball rolling towards a wider acceptance of being our genuine selves online. You are beautiful, unique, and enough, naturally.