As of 2018 or even a few years back, how we look and appear to others is one of the most distinct issues that we as receptive and conscious human beings experience. Understandably too, thanks Social Media!
Ethics and morality will always come in to play when delusion, even admitted delusion, is exposed. This is what distinguishes the foes from the allies of beauty influencers. It’s important to regard what exactly a beauty influencer is before we start delving into the integrity of their work. An influencer is a user on some sort of social media that has acclaimed expertise, credibility and a reputation on a specific topic, or in a particular industry.
James Charles openly stated on twitter earlier on this year that “photo editing is just as much an art as makeup itself, as long as you don’t edit makeup on”, he went on to say that behind the editing that he finds necessary to illicit a response from his followers, he still wanted his work to be accurately portrayed. From reading just a few sub tweets directed at him, it was obvious that people are in two minds about photo shopping in the makeup industry.
In my opinion, the answer lies in the title of this very article. Photo shopping your looks to appear better and brighter doesn’t denote the beauty and charm of them before you applied Facetune or VSCO’s finest filters. In a time where appearance and finesse is canonized, how are we expected to think that we can’t look even better? Yes well, believe it or not but the same goes for Celebrities, Youtubers and Instagrammers.
Those who think that make-up, especially ‘Instagram make up’ (i.e. full coverage skin, application of facial features that weren’t necessarily there to begin with, limp plumping & false eyelashes etc.) is deceptive will of course contend the use of Facetune, even if it’s confessed. However, those that advocate and endorse for beauty influencers can attest the reasoning and logistics behind it. Growing up alongside internet developments and social media crazes allow us millennials to have a better understanding of the process of posting photos online. We disregard a lot of people’s imperfections when they’re physically in front of us; however, this attitude is lost when the existence of that person is strictly online. A lot of us become more subjective when deducing people.
Photoshopping your photos is not about making yourself look absolutely perfect, it’s modifying your appearance nearer to the one that you feel you should have. As long as you’re honest and not too drastic and above all respectful of yourself then why should it be regarded as unethical?
Beauty influencers and makeup artists have a right to photoshop their face, their main career motive is to testify how well products work and demonstrate the artistry that can be created with such products. Blemishes, blotches and discolouration do not fit into their aesthetic and consequently contaminate their reputation and polished prominence.