The plastic surgery filters on Instagram are banned
Better late than never
By the swimming pool at a residential building in Mumbai, a bunch of pre-teens were contorting their bodies into Instagram-worthy poses against the setting sun. They were playing with the app’s popular effects — including the plastic surgery filters — apparent from the occasional squeaky cries of ‘I’ll post this one on Instagram’, ‘You’ll get soooo many likes’ and ‘omg, I love freckles.’
Arguments of ‘they’re too young to even be on social media’ aside, I was surprised by their knowledge of the app and how Instagram’s instant validation influenced their behaviour. While most of us are guilty of slapping on those adorable dog ears for a quick selfie, what ideas do the plastic surgery filters (thinning of the nose, brow lifts, cheek fillers) spark in their impressionable minds?
View this post on Instagramfix me filter just out – come live your plastic surgery fantasy
A post shared by DANIEL MOONEY (@danielmooney) on
The company behind the filters, Spark AR Effects, has taken a stand, and via a message on Facebook, announced that they would be removing all effects associated with plastic surgery from the Instagram Effect Gallery. These ‘well-being’ policies align with Instagram’s move to crack down on users peddling diet products to users under 18 and banning accounts promoting diet/weight loss products that make miraculous claims. The company is making public attempts to acknowledge what constant comparisons to idealised images and near-perfect celebrities can do to even the most self-assured human’s sense of worth — not to mention spark off symptoms of body dysmorphia.
A welcome move in a time where we are already too hard on ourselves. In the meanwhile, I’m writing up my petition to Instagram for a Koala filter? Because those guys are adorable.
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