Since Snapchat and Instagram introduced face filters, folks have gone absolutely wild for them, and as time goes on, more and more of the filters seem to get added to the mix.
While the filters themselves are generally just a bit of fun, some have been developing a worrying obsession with them, particularly the ones that do things like smooth out the face, fill the lips and make eyes look bigger. In other words, they fall in line with the current beauty standards of Western society.
But as a recent Huffington Post article points out, some people are actually taking these filtered images of themselves to plastic surgeons, in the hope they can be transformed into their social media alter ego.
Dubbed “Snapchat Dysmorphia“, the trend could be making us forget what we actually look like, some argue.
“There’s an issue with losing perspective on what you actually look like, and it’s not something we talk about much,” professor of psychology at Northwestern University, Renee Engeln told The Huffington Post.
“It’s not enough [to] have to compare yourself to these perfected images of models, but now you’ve got this daily comparison of your real self to this intentional or unintentional fake self that you present on social media. It’s just one more way to feel like your falling short every day.”
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New York plastic surgeon, Dr. Matthew Schulman, says the most common requests he receives in regards to filters centres around the smoother skin, bigger eyes, and fuller lips.
“Everybody basically is using a filter on their own and they’re either taking that next step to bring it to me saying, ‘Hey, this is what I want to look like,” he said.
“Not everyone is going that far, but in their head, that’s what they want to look like and then they’re coming to me and saying I want smoother skin, I want my eyes to be opened up, I want my lips to be fuller. You kind of have those two groups of people.”
While it used to be about looking like a certain celebrity, more and more people are wanting to emulate these filters, but that’s a little better than the former, according to Schulman.
“I think it’s a little bit more realistic than somebody coming in and bringing a picture of Angelina Jolie and saying, I want to look like her,” he said. “Because at least you’re starting with yourself at baseline.”
It’s just another way the rise of social media is changing our perception of ourselves and the world around us.
