Introduction
Beauty filter is such a loved app by many. How could they not be? They make you look good instantly, without any surgery or any effort at all. Many women love beauty filter apps. But many men love it as much as women do. The idea of looking attractive is considered an advantage to many.
Some of the most famous beauty filter apps are Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Facetune, and FaceApp. With just a few clicks, you can change your eyes, skin tone, remove blemishes, having a thin waist, or even look 20 years younger!
So an app that instantly boosts your appearance with just a few clicks, what's so bad about that? This app has great entertainment value. It's fun to try out different looks.
(In this article, I am only focusing on beauty filters and not fun filters such as making yourself look like a rabbit, dog, etc. )
So on the surface, maybe this product seems like it is not bad at all. However, we live in a time where beauty filters are used exaggeratedly. It is now a source of income for many people. Money is on the line. And you know what happens when money is on the line. It means business. Serious business.
What was supposedly for fun and entertainment is now a serious money business. Many influencers actually rely on the beauty filter too much to stay relevant. If they don't have any app to modify their face and body, they would probably not getting many audiences. However, influencers that have talents and strong personalities will continue to survive regardless of their looks.
Some people will get furious when their pictures are taken without any filter or without any flattering editing done on them. I know some women that refuse to take any pictures when there is no beauty filter applied. It seems like for many people, a beauty filter is their external organ. It doesn't live inside their body, but it's extremely important and they can't accomplish simple human tasks without it.
This need for beauty filters constantly also influence how beauty filter app is being marketed. Some of the app creators put ads that suggest that your nose shape is a mistake and by using their beauty filter, you can 'correct' it. It is also sad how those apps are marketed in a platform congested with children. Technically speaking, those apps are not dangerous. So it is legal to promote that to everybody.
Compare ads for cigarette and beauty filter apps. Obviously, cigarette ads will be deemed as harmful for children. But many beauty filter apps get the pass because they are not deemed as that harmful.
Why Do People Love Beauty Filters?
Have you ever seen images of influencers with unrealistic bodies? Some people might think they look almost like a doll and maybe that is the intention of the people editing their photo, to look like a doll. But in reality, influencers are also human, they look like a human, like any of us.
However, it seems like the flawless look gets many attractions and affection that it lures people that want to have the same attraction and affection to use beauty filters as well.
Humans make choices that sometimes affect other people. As the old saying goes, monkey sees monkey do. So when some people want exactly what others have, they copy what they did because they think that solution works. It is possible for them to think this way: If you want affection and attention, just modify your face or body to look a certain way, the easiest is by using beauty filters.
The big problem is, many people want affection and attention. I mean, who doesn't like to be loved?
To put it into context, think of it this way: people don't exactly want to be famous, they just want to be respected and treated well. People see how famous celebrities get all the love and treated with respect, so people tend to want to be famous celebrities as well. So the feeling of wanting to be a celebrity is just a means of being treated well and respected. It's just like how most people want a lot of money. But what they actually want is happiness. Money is just a means to be happy.
So that is why we have people that work hard to be rich, be famous, and...be physically attractive.
But the bigger question is: why are affection and attention so very valuable like the rare items? Shouldn't that be free and given to people as long as they are decent members of society? Why is affection such a rare thing?
It is also worth noting that in some cultures, beauty filter is used mainly for earning money and not for their own need to get affection. In some areas, it is so much more difficult to secure a job or access education, so the invention of beauty filters to solve their physical 'problem' is seen as a great invention that solves problems. But is it really a solution at all?
I have to give credit to beauty app filters for allowing many people from certain areas to earn a decent living in tough times. I think they somewhat solve poverty in certain areas. But we also should consider how it may affect society in the long run.
I always believe that a solution that causes another problem cannot be considered a solution.
This is what happened to the beauty filter app. It has a facade that this is a solution, but in reality, well, not really.
Have you ever feel you are never good enough? Do you feel like there is always something wrong with your looks that you just have to 'fix'? Why is it that every time you see yourself in the mirror, you find fault in how you look? Could the heavily edited photo play a role in your problem?
I think as a person, we have the ability to control what can and can't influence us. But we cannot ignore the fact that external factors play a role. Given someone has pristine mental health and ultimate confidence, they might change their mind over a long period of time if that is what they are being told or if that's what they constantly see. As a human with social connection, we sometimes can't help but be affected by other people.
If a girl believes that she is beautiful, but over time she sees that she doesn't look anything like what most people consider as beautiful, she might start to doubt herself. She might think, "maybe I am not beautiful, after all?".
Beauty filter plays a big role in our very digital life. Some phone cameras are automatically applied with a beauty filter. Almost everywhere we go, we see people with beauty filters applied to their photos. When we watch certain videos, a beauty filter is also applied. The amount of media we consume every day is inevitably large. So the impact of a beauty filter can have a big possibility to affect you.
Many women are insecure about their skin tone, they think it's too dark. So the option to enlighten their skin tone in beauty filters is so popular. Many feel like their chin is not sharp enough, their body is not 'hourglass' enough, or even worried because they have skin texture. So where do these ideas come from? Who told them that? It is a possibility that this bad idea comes from what they usually see.
Solution
So, what is the solution for us?
Avoid using beauty filters. Make yourself get used to how you actually look like.
When you feel like changing your appearance, always ask yourself why do you want to do it. Only do it if it is for you and your own happiness. Not because you saw influencers having those attributes so you think you should have those same attributes.
Be kind towards others. Aside from filters, we also can play a role in people's negative image of themselves. Stop criticizing people's physical appearance.
Remember that we are human, and not dolls so we are not meant to look like them.
Identify the real problem. As I mentioned, a beauty filter is just one of the external factors that play a role in your self-image. It could be something else. If you have not used a beauty filter and still struggling with self-image, try to ask a mental health professional to identify the source of your problem.
Most importantly, be kind to yourself. Reduce your urge to criticize your own physical appearance. Just because you don't look like edited influencer photos, doesn't mean you are ugly. Influencers don't even look like influencers!
In the past, print media and the advertisement industry portray humans unrealistically as flawless beings. But now, I applaud the media, the advertisement industry, and the public to work together for a better representation of humans. However, the popularity of beauty filters seems to challenge all the progress they made.
It makes me think, "why are tech companies spend a huge amount of money on technological advancement just to create a false representation of humans?".
I mean, so what if someone has pores on their face and has a medium skin tone? Why are they creating such advanced technology to make them go away? Why do we want to make them go away in the first place? This makes me think "maybe it's not made exactly for entertainment purposes, after all?". What is their true intention when creating this technology? Are they meant to earn money from our insecurities?
Conclusion
So, let's answer the question. Is the beauty filter app good for you?
While it does have positive functions such as temporarily boosting your confidence, you do have to control yourself to be able to enjoy the benefit without letting it affecting your self-image. But I wonder what is the positive outcome of making ourselves not look like ourselves? Sure, I am happy to see myself look prettier, but how is it any good for other people? What they see is not real. And even if they really like me, they will be disappointed to see me in real life, they might also feel cheated or lied to. I wonder what's good out of that.
In my opinion, after weighing all the consideration, I think beauty filters are not good for you in the long run. It is only good for a short time. When something is only good for a short time, I don't consider that as "good for you". Because if something is good for you, the more you do it, the better it improves your life.
For example, learning is good for you. The more you learn, the better you are. Learning is good in the short or long run. However, beauty filter is only good in the short term and we are still going to be fine without it anyway.
So the answer is: no, I don't think beauty filter app is good for you.
What It Means For Product Makers/Designers
I don't believe in the saying "So then just control yourself and don't be affected by those edited photos". As product designers, we can do better. We can make products that's good for them and solve the problem.
I think product makers are not thinking far enough for the users and this is room for improvement. Apps like beauty filter, social media, and dating app seem to take advantage of social problems and they are also designed with money as the priority, not the user.
I don't hate them. I think beauty filter, social media, and dating app can be great products if they are designed better with good intentions for the people. I have a strong feeling that if companies start to focus more on humans, they will make amazing products and the world will be heading in a much better direction.
Let me close this article with a few messages.
No, you are not too fat. Humans are not supposed to look like a pair of chopsticks.
No, your arms are not too flabby. That's just how arms skin is.
Your body is a human body, it's not supposed to be an hourglass.
Your skin tone should not determine how pretty you are. If anybody tells you that your skin tone makes you ugly, ignore it.
And yes, your skin supposed to have texture and pores. They are natural skin, not silicon.
Lastly, even though I critique the beauty filter, that doesn't mean you should show hate towards people who use them. If you don't want to support beauty filter, just don't use it. There is no need to come towards people who use beauty filter. Peace ✌️
-Leni
*My essay is purely my opinion based on my own observation and research. It's completely fine if you disagree because each of us has our own opinion.
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