How important is appearance to you? In your image on social networks? Do you use any filters or editing apps to edit your image? If so, you are not alone! In Quebec, 27% of teenagers and 22% of young adults think it is acceptable to modify their photos on social networks to improve their appearance (by using filters, modifying their appearance with software, etc.).
In the digital age, we are always one click away from modifying our image to present ourselves in our best light. Whether on social networks, in magazines, at the cinema or on television (yes, our favorite series, even The Telejournal in the evening, do not escape it!), the vast majority of the images presented to us are modified. Knowing that our society attaches disproportionate importance to appearance, it is normal to feel enormous pressure to conform to the standards of “beauty” conveyed and, thus, modify your image to resemble them.
Is it a habit that you have never questioned? Is this unwittingly your way of conforming to beauty standards? Is it a way to accentuate certain features and hide others? Is it a form of expression of your creativity or your individuality?
It may be time to stop and reflect, individually and collectively, on the importance given to appearance in our daily lives and the influence of beauty standards on our health and well-being. Indeed, despite the omnipresence and standardization of filters and retouching applications, their consumption and use are not without consequences!
Confidence and self-esteem
First, whether you are the creator or a simple consumer, retouched images encourage comparison and can harm self-confidence, self-esteem and bodily satisfaction. Whether consciously done or not, filters and retouching create a distortion of reality and help to maintain the idea that one must reach these unrealistic and stereotypical standards of perfection.
Additionally, the manipulation of body features and silhouette can be a form of objectification, i.e. reducing a person to an object by using them for commercial or sexual purposes by dissociating them, for example , his qualities, his abilities and his personality. This phenomenon can be observed in the media (eg advertisements), where the body or some of its parts are cropped, manipulated and retouched. This contributes in particular to valuing humans solely for their appearance, to the detriment of their uniqueness and true value. These far-reaching changes can reinforce simplistic and sexist ideas that are detrimental to the development of gender identity and equality.
On the occasion of No Makeup Day, the organization ÉquiLibre invites Quebecers to become aware of the impact of filters and touch-up applications on their self-esteem and well-being and to reflect more broadly on the importance given to appearance in society.
This day is not intended to impose a new normal or to point fingers at people who wear makeup, use filters or retouch their photos. Rather, she encourages you to be yourself through your screen, whatever the form and how!
In the digital age, let’s be authentic!