Changing Faces

I am a cynical person. So when I was playing on my friend’s phone the other day getting a thrill out of Snapchat (I don’t have a Snapchat account so like to have fun with it when I get the chance) I had to laugh at this filter that literally transforms your entire self in to some kind of undeniable goddess.

Like I won’t lie I look kind of hot in the above image on the left. Right guys?

Alas, it is not real and I cannot claim it as my own genetic talent, but instead the talent of those damn gorgeous Snapchat filters.

As you can see on the right side, I’m really just a freckle faced girl with a sharp chin and a fun loving attitude.

But when do these filters cross over from the playfully deceiving into the plainly damaging?

Is there a ‘catfish’ element to presenting yourself online in an unauthentic way or is it kind of fair game as everybody has access to the same filters?

I get the feeling this filter, among others, is playing a role in reducing the levels of self worth experienced by (mainly) women, in presenting them with this ideal of beauty that is only attainable by the use of a filter, altering your skin so it appears ten times smoother and your lips plumper than ever before.

Just the name suggests, filters serve to filter out the authentic and replace it with a similar, manufactured and glamourized image of the reality. This extends beyond the literal filters placed on photos to the way we choose, as cogs in the social media machine, the versions of ourselves we display online and our obsession with the presentation of the perfect.

I realise I’m not the first person to recognise the ridiculous falsehoods presented on the socials but it’s worth reminding ourselves every now and again, that social media is not real life.

On the flip side, maybe it’s just a bit of fun?

What do you think?

Happy snapping snappers.