A
beauty filter is a filter applied
to still photographs, or
to video in real time, to enhance the
physical attractiveness of the subject. Typical effects of such filters include smoothing skin texture and modifying the proportions of facial features, for example enlarging the eyes or narrowing the nose. Filters may be included as a built-in feature of
social media apps such as
Instagram or
Snapchat, or implemented through standalone applications such as
Facetune. In 2020, the "Perfect Skin" filter for Snapchat and Instagram which was created by Brazilian augmented reality developer Brenno Faustino gained more than 36 million impressions in the first 24 hours of its release. In 2021,
TikTok users pointed out how the default front-facing camera on the platform automatically applied the retouch and other feature-altering filters. Users noted that these filters slimmed down faces, smoothed skin, whitened teeth, and altered facial features such as nose and eye size, without the option to disable this feature through settings. In March 2023, the "Bold Glamour" filter was released on TikTok and instantly went viral with over 18 million videos created within its first week. This filter subtly enhances the user's facial features seamlessly, giving the illusion of fuller eyebrows, taller cheekbones, enhanced eye make up, a smaller nose, plumper lips, and clearer skin, giving off a natural yet distinct effect. As of May 2024, the filter has been used in over 220 million videos and has become a pivotal moment for beauty filters on digital platforms. Critics have raised concerns that the widespread use of such filters on social media may lead to
negative body image, particularly among girls. Though Meta's intention of removing third-party filters will likely see all beauty filters removed, academics feel that the damage of beautifying filters is already done.
Background The
manipulation of photos to enhance attractiveness has long been possible using software such as
Adobe Photoshop and, before that, analogue techniques such as
airbrushing. However, such tools required considerable technical and artistic skill, and so their use was mostly limited to professional contexts, such as magazines or advertisements. By contrast, filters work in an automated fashion through the use of complex algorithms, requiring little or no input from the user. This ease of use, in combination with the increase in processing power of smartphones, and the rise of social media and
selfie culture, have led to photographic manipulation occurring on a much wider scale than ever before. One of the earliest examples of a content-aware digital photographic filter is
red-eye reduction. • Enlarging the eyes • Whitening teeth • Narrowing the nose • Increasing fullness of the lips Beauty filters most frequently target the face, though in some cases they may affect other body parts. For example, the app "Retouch Me" was reported to have a feature which allows users to superimpose visible abdominal muscles (a "
six pack") onto photos featuring the subject's bare stomach. The inability to discern whether a particular image has been filtered is thought to exacerbate their negative psychological effects. Policymakers have advocated for social networks to disclose the use of filters; TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat all label filtered photos and videos with the name of the filter applied. It has also been noted that
beauty filters on social media tend to highlight
Eurocentric features, like lighter eyes, a smaller nose, and flushed cheeks. These filters have been documented as contributing to social media users' feelings of
body image insecurity, sometimes called "filter dysmorphia." This trend has led some to seek plastic surgery to make themselves look how they appear in social media filters.
Cosmetic procedures Filters have been implicated in greater demand for cosmetic surgery and injections. The term "
Snapchat dysmorphia" was coined by cosmetic doctor
Tijion Esho to describe patients who presented to plastic surgeons seeking procedures to mimic the effects of filters, such as a narrowed nose, enlarged eyes, fuller lips, and smoothed skin. Instagram previously hosted a number of third-party filters which explicitly simulated the effects of cosmetic procedures, as well as a filter, "FixMe", which allowed users to annotate their face with areas for surgical improvement, as a plastic surgeon might do with a marker. After public controversy around these filters, Facebook banned them in October 2019, along with all "distortion" filters, which altered the proportions of the face. In August 2020, Facebook re-allowed distortion filters, but continued to ban filters which "directly promote cosmetic surgery". Facial distortion filters are also unlisted in the app's "Effects Gallery", which shows the most popular filters at the time. == Other filters ==