Picture Perfect

*Click. Flash. Retake. Click. Flash. Edit. Filter. Photoshop. Post. Repeat.*

The addictive nature of social media has created a society which is constantly seeking approval in the form of likes and shares from those behind screens. It propels an unhealthy culture promoting an unrealistic and unachievable expectation of beauty standards. Beauty filters are at the root of this issue as they are commonly added to posts to erase pimples, freckles, curves, wrinkles and scars. These filters are fake and promote an unachievable sense of beauty prompting those who don’t look like the latest influencer to feel insecure. In fact, Norway has just passed regulations made it illegal for advertisers and social media influencers to share promotional photos online without disclosing whether the images were retouched!

I’ll be honest I love the Instagram filters and am a frequent user of social media. Yet I believe it is important to acknowledge the consequences of promoting these filters which socialise users to believe their imperfections and uniqueness must be erased. Many innocent and fun filters are as simple as a subtle lighting change to make your image look as though it was taken on film. However, many Instagram filters such as ‘natural beauty’, ‘pretty face’ and ‘golden hour’ erase all imperfections. They will slim jaws, brighten eyes, remove moles, erase scares and enhance your lips. By naming these filters things such as 'natural beauty', users start to believe that to be deemed a natural beauty they must look a certain way. These filters are so commonly used now that this false idea of beauty is constantly broadcasted. And let's also acknowledge the fact that these filters are so refined that often you can't even tell if someone is using them.

Now that is unhealthy.

Filters are fusing people together and narrowing the term beautiful to a single look. They remove identifying marks so users can't be differentiated from the pack and in doing so further create unhealthy beauty standards, creating insecurities in natural marks such as freckles and laugh lines.

But it’s not all doom and gloom because there are some simple steps you can take to avoid getting sucked into the trap of feeling insecure about completely normal things.

1. Take some time out from social media and stop scrolling in the mornings! Having some time out is completely healthy and can help provide perspective.

2. Unfollow users who don’t fill you with joy. If you are currently out there following people who make you feel insecure, unfollow them! Instead try following inspiring content or influencers who actively combat the promotion of unachievable beauty standards.

3. Remember most of what you see on social media is a snapshot which has been heavily edited. So try keep this perspective when scrolling and understand that most photos you see are a product of rehearsal and extreme editing (especially with influencers).

4. Try posting a natural photo which has not been edited, a hard yet rewarding task. It is cliché but there is only one you and you should feel comfortable to post the real you online!

As I mentioned earlier, social media isn’t a bad thing yet the consequences of not understanding that people are using filters is. So it is important to remember that life looks a lot different off screen then it does on. Also don't fall into the trap of trying to fall into the narrow beauty standards set by these filters because you are beautiful just the way you are.

You don't need to look like everyone else, your imperfections are what makes you, you. Pimples, freckles, laugh lines, stretch marks, scars are all natural so lets start embracing our bodies because they are pretty amazing.

By Alexis Pallister

Image: Canva