Are ‘natural’ beauty filters less harmful?

Social media can be a fun pastime, but when it comes to the promotion and perpetuation of

unrealistic beauty standards, it can be toxic. Filters started off as a fun and quirky way to distort your features and make yourself laugh- I for one enjoyed the range of goofy Snapchat features in my secondary school days. Then filter use started to change, thanks in part to the rise of Influencer culture. 

Did anyone else find themselves making the transition from comic filters to beauty ones? I didn’t want the Snapchat filters that made me look like a mushroom or bee, but I opted for the butterfly crown, flower crown, that one with all the hearts; the ones that made me feel pretty. The ones that made me look unlike myself. 

Relying on social media filters to meet beauty expectations and feel validated often leads to body image issues and low self-esteem. As someone who managed to move away from my insecurities when relying on augmented reality filters to ‘perfect’ my selfies, I know this can be a tough cycle to break out of.

Now though, TikTok has seen users creating more ‘natural’ filters, which don’t give you the typical pouty lips, scary contact lenses and cartoonishly smooth skin. Instead, these might just give you longer lashes, freckles, a more even skin tone or brighter features. 

i do think these milder filters are less harmful than the most prominent ‘beautifying’ filters, as your face remains mostly the same- it’s not as shocking of a difference when the filters are on or off. If you wanted to do a quick video and didn’t have time to do your makeup, then sure, these more realistic filters could be a useful element to have access to. 

Although I feel that having an overreliance on these can still lead you down a rabbit hole of picking apart and scrutinising your facial features in one way or another, especially for younger teens. You might start with just the lashes, but what’s to stop you from adding on more filters as you go?

The top auto-search after ‘What TikTok filter…’ is ‘What TikTok filter makes you pretty?’.  You can still see yourself when you film using a filter, but it’s not really you - the way you authentically look. And when you turn that filter off again and see the slight change, it can do something to your self-perception. ‘I wish I just had these features or looked like that already….’:  It’s way too easy to think negatively and obsessively over ourselves, when we give social media filters such power to distort our image. 

I won’t tell you to never use a TikTok filter- I play around with them sometimes too! However, I think it’s important to not put too much weight on the image your phone shows you, and to be able to differentiate between your social media self, and your true self, which is what matters the most.  Take control over your digital presence, take time away from filters and from social media in general, and embrace who you are offline.

'Flaws’ only add to the uniqueness of your beauty.

Edited by Tia Xiourouppas