Selfie dysmorphia: the latest consequence of a beauty utopia

After I click onto the Snapchat app on my phone, I flip the camera so that I can see my face. Shortly after that, I scroll through filters, preparing to take a “selfie,” or a photo of myself. A filter is applied to my face on the first swipe that makes my mouth comically large. The next filter I select gives me doggy ears. The third filter, however, distorts my appearance completely. It shortens the length of my face, narrows my jawline, increases the size of my lips, and removes acne from my face. I stare at myself in disbelief, not recognizing the person staring back at me. 

A common feature of social media sites like Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok is image-altering filters. While some of these filters are harmless, most of them perpetuate a Eurocentric beauty standard that significantly distorts one’s natural appearance.

Social media sites provide an accessible way for people to interact with others online. During my sophomore year of high school — during the virtual schooling period of the pandemic — my social media usage skyrocketed. Since I couldn’t meet people in person, I spoke to many other teens online. I posted filter-enhanced photos of myself to my friends and my story. I received compliments on these altered photos. The more validation I gained, the more filters I used. 

I didn’t see the immediate consequences of my actions. But, I suddenly became fixated on the clearness of my skin, which was ridden with acne, and I developed an intense desire for my face to be smaller. I spent hours each night on social media — Snapchat especially — scrolling through other people’s stories. I wondered whether they were using the same filters as I was or if their facial appearances were simply flawless. I couldn’t differentiate between reality and fantasy. 

One of the many adverse effects of these filters is the resulting “selfie dysmorphia,” or “Snapchat dysmorphia.” Plastic surgeons coined these terms in 2015 after seeing a rise in cosmetic surgeries seeking changes such as the enlargement of eyes, narrowing of noses, and enlargement of lips in accordance with social media filters. According to the National Library of Medicine, taking and editing selfies results in facial dissatisfaction. 

High school junior Danielle Turner, who is ethnically Gabonese, also believes that using filters that vastly change facial appearance can decrease an individual’s self-esteem and confidence in showing their unfiltered face.  

“It gets to a point where even taking pictures with other people, you’ll be like, ‘Oh no, I don’t like that because I don’t look the way I would look with a filter,’” Turner said. “Maybe you’ll add a filter later on because you feel uncomfortable with the way your face looks naturally.”

For this reason, Turner tries to limit her filter usage to filters that don’t change her facial structure and change her appearance to a Eurocentric model. 

In addition to spreading Western beauty ideals, social media sites also perpetuate Eastern beauty standards, such as the “white-washing” effect, applying a brightening filter that lightens skin tone. This primarily affects individuals residing in East and South Asia. 

High school junior Pomada Rattanachote, who is Thai, uses white-washing filters when she communicates with her friends overseas to mask her natural appearance because pale skin is seen as “pure” and “cute” in Eastern culture.

“I kind of just accepted that I do look better with these white-washing filters. It just looks better for the Asian beauty standard,” Rattanachote said.

By utilizing drastically face-altering filters, individuals risk loosing consciousness of their natural appearance and confidence with it. Social media platforms make it concerningly easy for individuals to portray an idealized version of themselves when interacting with others.

Social media companies need to take accountability for the “selfie dysmorphia” epidemic that their filters create. By showing pride in our natural appearance, we can take back the power that social media holds over our heads in the form of picture-perpetuated beauty standards. There is no correct way to look. We need to prioritize reality and authenticity instead of perceived “perfection.”