Instagram face

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Instagram face is a beauty standard based on the filters and influencers popular on Instagram. [1] An "Instagram face" has catlike eyes, long lashes, a small nose, high cheekbones, full lips, and a blank expression. [2] Digital filters manipulate photographs and video to create an idealized image that, according to critics, has resulted in an unrealistic and homogeneous beauty standard. [3] According to Jia Tolentino, the face is "distinctly white but ambiguously ethnic". [4] The face has been described as a racial composite of different peoples. [4]

While based on digital filters, the look is achieved in person using heavy applications of makeup or cosmetic surgery. [2] Plastic surgery, Botox injections, and injectable filler have significantly increased in popularity since the rise of digital filters. [5] Influencers market makeup products designed to recreate the look. [2] In 2018, Americans underwent 7 million neurotoxin injections and 2.5 million filler injections and spent $16.5 billion on cosmetic surgery. 92% of the latter was performed on women. [4] Botox usage has also been on the rise. [6]

In 2019, The New Yorker referred to this phenomenon as "Instagram Face," identifying Kim Kardashian as its "patient zero." Similarly, her younger sister Kylie Jenner significantly impacted the trend with her 2015 lip filler confession, which acted as a catalyst, introducing Juvéderm to a new generation. [4] [7]

In 2024, cosmetic surgeon Paul Banwell said, "People used to come to see me asking to look like a particular celebrity, but many patients come to me now wanting to look like the filtered version of themselves." [5] The increasing popularity of cosmetic surgeries towards a homogeneous ideal has resulted in the emergence of the "goopcore" sub-genre of body horror. The sub-genre combines graphic violence with body modifications from the beauty industry. [8] Allie Rowbottom's goopcore novel Aesthetica centers around an influencer attempting to undo years of plastic surgery with a new experimental procedure. [8]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plastic surgery</span> Medical surgical specialty

Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction, or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery covers a wide range of specialties, including craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, microsurgery, and the treatment of burns. This category of surgery focuses on restoring a body part or improving its function. In contrast, cosmetic surgery focuses solely on improving the physical appearance of the body. A comprehensive definition of plastic surgery has never been established, because it has no distinct anatomical object and thus overlaps with practically all other surgical specialties. An essential feature of plastic surgery is that it involves the treatment of conditions that require or may require tissue relocation skills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosmetics</span> Substances applied to the body to change appearance or fragrance

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cannula</span> Tube surgically implanted in the body

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Filters are digital image effects often used on social media. They initially simulated the effects of camera filters, and they have since developed with facial recognition technology and computer-generated augmented reality. Social media filters—especially beauty filters—are often used to alter the appearance of selfies taken on smartphones or other similar devices. While filters are commonly associated with beauty enhancement and feature alterations, there is a wide range of filters that have different functions. From adjusting photo tones to using face animations and interactive elements, users have access to a range of tools. These filters allow users to enhance photos and allow room for creative expression and fun interactions with digital content.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snapchat dysmorphia</span> Psychological phenomenon

Snapchat dysmorphia, also known as "selfie dysmorphia", is a trending phenomenon used to describe patients who seek out plastic surgery in order to replicate and appear like their filtered selfies or altered images of themselves. The increasing availability and variety of filters used on social media apps, such as Snapchat or Instagram, allow users to edit and apply filters to their photos in an instant – blemish the skin, narrow the nose, enlarge the eyes, and numerous other edits to one's facial features. These heavily edited images create unrealistic and unnatural expectations of one's appearance, showing users a "perfected" view of themselves. The disconnection between one's real-life appearance and the highly filtered versions of oneself manifest into body insecurity and dysmorphia. The distorted perception of oneself can potentially evolve into an obsessive preoccupation with perceived flaws in one's appearance, a mental disorder known as body dysmorphic disorder. BDD has been classified as part of the obsessive-compulsive spectrum and it is currently affecting one in 50 Americans.

References

  1. ↑ Ryan-Mosley, Tate (19 August 2022). "The fight for "Instagram face"". MIT Technology Review. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Jones, Alexandra (15 August 2018). "'I tried 'Instagram face' for a week and here's what happened...'". BBC Three. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  3. ↑ Hunter, Tatum (20 September 2023). "Should women use beauty filters online? We all have opinions". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 20 September 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Tolentino, Jia (12 December 2019). "The Age of Instagram Face". The New Yorker. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  5. 1 2 Petter, Olivia (28 April 2024). "Instagram face: Are we all going to end up looking the same?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
  6. ↑ "The Class Politics of Instagram Face". Tablet Magazine. 15 February 2023.
  7. ↑ "Goodbye Instagram Face — This Is The New Way To Enhance Your Features". The Zoe Report. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  8. 1 2 Knibbs, Kate (12 April 2023). "Body Horror in the Age of Instagram Face". Wired. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
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