‘This should be illegal’: TikTok users appalled by new ‘Bold Glamour’ filter

Social media users have been left stunned by the effects of a new “beauty” filter on TikTok.

The “Bold Glamour” filter airbrushes a person’s face, chisels their jawline, and cheekbones, and darkens their eyes and eyebrows.

Facial filters, which are interactive, AI-programmed masks accessed via using a mobile phone’s front camera, can drastically alter the appearance of a person’s face. When facial filters first emerged in 2015, they were largely for novelty purposes, with one popular filter giving a person’s face dog-like ears and a nose.

Since then, filters have evolved to be more precise and incorporate machine learning to alter people’s faces in real-time. While most filters glitch when a person puts a hand between the filter and their face, the bold glamour looks more convincing in comparison.

The new filter is being criticised by social media users, who cite issues including mental health, low self-esteem and body dysmorphia as potential consequences of people using the filter to present themselves online. Many have flagged the fact that, unlike many filters, passing your hand over your face does not appear to disrupt the effect.

“Beauty filters are not new, but the precision on this is beyond uncanny. This is psychological warfare and pure evil,” one person complained.

Others have suggested that the filter will push young people to strive for an unattainable standard of beauty.

“Imagine all the teenage girls who will start using the scarily good ‘bold glamour’ filter on TikTok and feel like they need to obtain this certain standard of beauty,” wrote another. “This is not good for your mental health.”

Another added: “There’s a new filter on TikTok called ‘Bold Glamour’ and that s*** should be illegal because you can rub your brows and eyes and it won’t budge... whoever made this. I’m scared of them.”

Pop star Charli XCX even tried the filter on the platform, making a video of herself with and without the effect. She captioned the post: “Kharli Kardashian” to suggest she looked like one of the sisters from Keeping Up With The Kardashians when using the filter.

Meanwhile, TikTok users are using the filter as an opportunity to push back against unattainable beauty standards, with creators stitching together videos showing what their real face actually looks like.

“I just woke up. This is not what I look like right now. This filter should be illegal. Here’s the real me,” said one TikTok user in a voiceover.

“I don’t look like this,” said another person. “I don’t want to say this about myself but I actually look ugly when I take this filter off. I’ve done a lot of work to unlearn that I don’t owe prettiness to anyone. I don’t my brain knows how to deal with looking like this one minute and then this the next,” they said, before turning off the filter.

“Here’s a reminder for everyone, filtered skin is not the perfect skin type.”

The Independent has contacted TikTok for comment.