This was a question I posted on my instagram story with YES and NO option as an answer. Here’s why.
Image above from* https://www.boredpanda.com/misleading-influencers-beauty-filters/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organi
A good friend of mine posted a story using a filter. You know the one that makes you look “prettier”. It narrows your nose and makes your lips bigger, it also removes skin imperfections. She did not look like herself. I felt confused. Frustrated. Why? Keep reading.
Two days before that another good friend of mine was at my place and she posted a story of us. She used a similar filter. I did not comment on it because I did not want be the mood killer (and also because I hate to offend someone) but i felt same frustration. She included me in her story and that night i did not look my best — 3-day hair ponytail and no makeup. I did not feel confident to appear in that story. She posted it anyway but put a crown over my head, you know cute GIF crown. Sounds contradictory? Me not wanting to appear in an instagram story without makeup but judging her for using a filter? Keep reading.
Both women from paragraphs above are extremely smart, successful, intelligent, funny, and caring. Also — beautiful. I put this adjective last because for me external beauty is not a defining factor when it comes to women. It makes me sad that they applied filter to change or “improve” the way they look. And they are not the only ones.
So many women across the globe feel the need to fit in the “concept” of beauty and how they SHOULD look. A lot of us feel pressured by social media every day because we think that we don’t look good enough and compare ourselves with perfect photos of someone else. We think that our noses are not thin enough and that our lips are not big enough and that our skin has too many imperfections.
Image above from* https://www.boredpanda.com/misleading-influencers-beauty-filters/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organi
Don’t get me wrong — it took me YEARS to stop “correcting” my face in photo apps before posting; and a nose job eventually to get over my insecurities about the way I looked. I changed my nose but it did not change who I was — an insecure girl dealing with lots of issues. Did I get rid of all my insecurities? No. Did the nose job make me happier? Yes. Do I still struggle sometimes with the way I look? Hell yes. Do I still have to learn to accept and love myself just the way I am? Hell yes again. We all do.
I felt frustrated after she posted an instagram story using filter because I did not see a reason for her to try and be something else or try to appear different from the way she really is. I felt confused with myself when I was shy to appear in an instagram story with greasy hair and no makeup but judged my friend on wanting to look better because I prefer not to post anything than pretend to be something I am not. Because I still struggle with the way I look sometimes and try to find a way to balance self-acceptance and a simple female desire to look beautiful FOR MYSELF. I feel sad when I see women who think they should fit into a false concept of how we “should” look.
P.S. we are all so special. so BEAUTIFUL. Just the way we are. Without filters and face-apps. and if you two are reading this, I want you to know, I love you.
P.P.S. The poll results were 70% vs 30% where 70 stands for YES on using face filters for instagram stories.
