Are you getting so used to the way you look with filters that you want to change your face permanently?
Photo by Elijah O’Donell on Unsplash
The screens dominating our lives have already began to alter and adjust our realities.
And now it’s going beyond FOMO and comparing our own lives to others’. We’re taking the insecurities that social media stokes and carrying them into the real world. The big problem with false perceptions online is that some are trying to make these unrealistic ideals a reality and alter themselves to fit their screens — literally.
The rising “Snapchat Dysmorphia” phenomenon is Exhibit A: more and more people are getting plastic surgery to look like edited photos. Because people are starting to prefer how they look with all the filters and adjustments.
Snapchat, of course, offers tons of filters to change the way our face looks, and apps like FaceTune have been created specifically to so that people can make themselves look “better” in photos.
Snapchat dysmorphia: A growing number of patients are seeking to look like their Snapchat-filtered selfies. pic.twitter.com/TmmwMVVckq
— CNBC (@CNBC) August 6, 2018
Of course, some people’s livelihoods are based on how they appear on social media (*cough* Kylie Jenner) so it’s not all that surprising that they would surgically alter their looks to achieve the appearance they think they need.
And hey, who doesn’t want to look more photogenic? Especially if more people see you online than in real life — why not try to strive for the look that most people recognize you for?
everytime i look at kylie’s snapchat i just want to go HAM on plastic surgery, she’s built like a goddess and i want that
— ????? (@urboycesar) August 12, 2018
But doctors say the looks you can get with filters are often unachieveable in real life. Someone could get all the plastic surgery they want and still not look just like they do with Photoshop.
It's not you who looks weird in selfies. It's the camera distorting your face. Don't get plastic surgery cause you think you look ugly on Snapchat or Instagram. #selflove
— Anoah Wang (@anoahwang) August 10, 2018
The unrealistic beauty standards brought on by apps can lead people to not appreciate themselves for who they actually are. One could end up forever unhappy with their natural self.
That's wild AF. ?? We're so out of touch with reality as a whole. I don't care for the changes the filters make. Its cute sometimes just for the fun of it.. but to make it permanent? Nah bruh.
— PaiNapples?? (@LA_PRiiNCeSS318) August 10, 2018