Kim Kardashian's new app Screenshop might ruin your self-esteem
Instagram is, for many, a fantasy world. As we scroll through, the people that surround us are skinny, made up, denizens of exotic locations and, above all, better-dressed than we are.
Kim Kardashian's new app, Screenshop, aims to help Instagram users dress like their favorite celebrities, stars, and rich acquaintances. In reality, it's just a stark reminder of how unlike them we are.
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The app is pretty easy to use. You take a screenshot of any glamorous picture that strikes your fancy.
Image: monica chin/instagram
Then, duck back into Screenshop and access your camera roll.
Screenshop will show you a number of clothing options that are similar to what the figure in your screenshot is wearing, along with their prices.
Image: monica chin/screenshop
When you click the one you want, Screenshop will redirect you to the website of the outlet that's selling it. From there, you can purchase it online, without leaving the app.
Image: monica chin/screenshop
The app's not just for Instagram, either — you can Screenshop any picture with clothing in it, from Facebook, Snapchat, or anywhere else. You could even submit a photo of someone you glimpse on the street, but don't blame us if they're creeped out.
You can sort clothing item results by similarity, price, or alphabetically by brand. You can "Favorite" items of clothing, which show up in a separate tab.
Beneath the "Discover" tab, Screenshop seems to have its own online store with very expensive clothing (a plain white tanktop is $125).
I used Screenshop to check out an outfit worn by Kim Kardashian herself on, according to her caption, a late-night gummy bear run.
Image: monica chin/instagram
It was an upscale outfit, but one I could realistically see myself wanting to wear on a special occasion — not a Met Gala or Oscar outfit. Screenshop spared no expense (literally) in demonstrating to me how fully and utterly I could not afford Kim's outfit. The Pierre Hardy shoes marked most similar to hers were priced at $377, and other similar options hovered around there.
Image: monica chin/screenshop
While Kim's skirt had cheaper alternatives, the most similar option was $690. I cannot even conceive of spending $700 on an article of clothing.
This brings light to another problem, which is how often this app misses the mark.
Screenshop is bad at distinguishing sandals from high heels. I inquired about a pair of very high wedged sandals that Beyonce was wearing in a photo, and was shown a large selection of flat sandals that looked dubiously similar at best. The app also mistook a number of short dresses for shorts-tanktop combinations, and even some tanktops for sports bras.
These errors aren't the end of the world. You know what you're looking for, so you can easily scroll through the list it gives you to find items that are similar. Still, sifting through rows of sandals to find what are very obviously high heels is unappealing. The more sorting I have to do, the closer I am to losing whatever passing interest I had in the item before. It's far from ideal.
Screenshop features over 400 stores, including high-end fashion houses like Herve Leger as well as many names that I actually know how to pronounce, such as JCPenny, Nordstrom Rack, and Forever 21.
Screenshop is definitely convenient, and a great idea. If you love a friend's shirt, but are too lazy to ask her where she got it, this app is perfect for you. And if you want to create a budget version of what Selena Gomez is wearing, Screenshop can help you do that too.
Image: monica chin/screenshop
But assuming you're, like most of us, not in a position to drop thousands of dollars on an article of clothing, there's also a hard reality hidden in this app. While you can probably find affordable pieces that look somewhat similar to the gorgeous flannel Taylor Swift is wearing, you cannot afford the one she's actually wearing. That one's listed first, and it's almost $2,000.
Image: monica chin/instagram
Image: monica chin/screenshop
In many ways, social media platforms act as an equalizing force. While Ariana Grande flies in a private jet and we fly in cramped economy seats, we all press the same buttons to send the same silly selfies to the same platform, and we like and comment as equals. For the very financially privileged among us, Screenshop can indeed be another equalizing force — a way to finally dress like your favorite Instagram celebrities.
For the rest of us, though, it's a reminder that even when it comes to sweatpants, they outlive us, often times hundreds.
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