Selena Gomez Addresses a Common Theme in Snapchat Filters
The art of the selfie has certainly metamorphosed since the introduction of face filters, and even though Instagram has gotten in on the game in recent months, Snapchat is definitely the OG when it comes to turning yourself into a puppy or a flower-crown-wearing goddess. Even celebs love to play with Snapchat’s always-rotating roster of filters, but as Selena Gomez recently pointed out, there’s something pretty interesting about a lot of the app’s options.
Earlier this week, Sel posted a story commenting on the fact that many of the “pretty” filters turn the user’s eyes blue. (The singer-songwriter's story has since expired, but fan accounts captured the video and reposted it on Twitter.)
“Literally every single Snapchat filter has blue eyes,” Selena said. “But…what if you have brown eyes? Am I supposed to have these eyes to look good?” In another clip, Selena tried out the enlarged nose filter and the filter that turns your mouth into an oversized lemon shape. “They use my brown eyes for this one,” she said about the latter. “I don't understand; they have all the blue eyes for the [filters] that are really pretty.”
Selena makes a pretty good point; a lot of the “pretty” filters do change the color of the user’s eyes, making them appear lighter than they are IRL. And while there’s nothing wrong with playing around with the app’s features or posting selfies that make you feel good, it's worth considering the ways in which face filters are impacting beauty standards and even warping our own senses of self. (One report even noted a trend of young people seeking plastic surgery in an attempt to look more like they do in Snapchat filters.)
As for Selena, her recent post ended on an uplifting note, reminding her followers that “brown eyes are beautiful” (as are all filter-free faces, of course). “I think I’ll just stick to the ‘gram,” she added. “I’m done! Love you guys.”
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