Instagram and TikTok filters contribute to whitewashed beauty standards
Social media filter has created an impact on this generation of constantly meeting up to unrealistic beauty standards. There are probably millions of filers on TikTok, Instagram, and even Snapchat. Many of these filters have minor color changes and brightening effects. However, some modify your face and many of them even whitewash your skin.
Instagram and TikTok filters contribute to whitewashed beauty standards
I’ve had a fair share of seeing these kinds of filters all over my social media accounts. And, I absolutely hate them. As you can see, I’m a very brown Filipina. I’ve had to battle colorism all over social media and one of them includes tackling beauty filters that whitewash brown skin.
When I was younger, I was bullied for having dark skin. There are several television shows and ads for whitening products that contribute to colorism in the Philippines. The preference for “white beauty” stems from Spanish colonizers who associated dark-skinned Filipinos with poor laborers.
Meanwhile, those with lighter skin and being mixed-race Filipino remain in the upper class. Basically, it was the Spaniards who brought us the idea that our culture and natural skin color were inferior to theirs. Even after 124 years of independence, we are still suffering from the ideals that existed all those years ago.
And, to be honest, these whitewashed beauty standards can be detrimental to one’s mental health.
A 2014 survey even found that using these social media platforms correlated with the risk of having anxiety or depression. These filters made available to users and invisible to viewers create an even less realistic portrait of what other people look like. Researchers also suggest that people who are already anxious or depressed may be drawn to social media platforms because it gives them something to fixate upon. However, this allows them to compare themselves to other people whether it be looks, social standing, and overall personality.
The filters simultaneously reflect and perpetuate unrealistic beauty standards in the digital space. Some filters simply change the color photo from black to white while others adjust the lightness and darkness of the photo itself. However, a lot of these filters whitewash people of color, automatically lightening skin, thinning noses, and making eyes rounder. Manipulating one’s own image has become such a part of their life that there’s no going back now.
If you spend long enough scrolling through filtered-to-perfection influencers, celebrities, and regular people, it becomes very tempting to start a mental wish of listings you want to change about yourself.
There is already a well-established link between social media usage and psychological concerns. It adds to concerns such as anxiety related to physical appearance, increased body dissatisfaction, and lower self-esteem. It seems harmless at first. However, with a slight edit here and there, anyone can spiral into obsessive-compulsive tendencies around body image. The alterations practically separate you from reality. Admittedly, it’s a scary phenomenon. A lot of people nitpick their features apart and wish for a face that belongs to no one but looks like everyone on social media.
These filters move you away from the beauty of authenticity and celebrating your unique self.
