Is this the end of face-altering filters? Campaign causes ‘misleading’ beauty photos to be banned

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The use of filters on social media has been widely debated as of late. Celebrities, influencers and us normal lot alike have all indulged in some face or skin altering effects that may not have felt particularly harmful when we clicked “post”.

But with growing concern over unrealistic beauty standards impacting on mental health, campaigns have been set up to stop these filters from appearing on our daily feeds.

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The most widely reached campaign is #filterdrop which calls for it to be compulsory for influencers to state when they use a beauty filter to promote skincare or cosmetics.

In fact, this campaign has been so influential that the ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) has taken the use of filters into consideration and ruled that from now on, “advertisers of cosmetic products need to take particular care not to exaggerate or otherwise mislead consumers regarding the product advertised."

This means not using a filter to over-enhance the actual effects of a product.

The #filterdrop hashtag, which has now been used globally nearly 3,000 times on Instagram, was started by make-up artist Sasha Pallari after she grew tired of seeing the same face with filtered-out features and flaws appear time and time again on her feed.

“The other night I noticed an influencer with close to 300k followers advertising a makeup brand with a beautifying filter on,” she explained to her followers.

“Maybe she isn’t confident enough to talk to the camera without one and that genuinely makes me sad. I so strongly wish you would realise the vast scale of damage the constant use of filters are.

“Flawless, poreless, scarless, wrinkle-less skin does not exist and it’s only because of the overuse of these we believe it does.”

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Though the ASA has been aware of increasing complaints about the use of filters, it was ultimately Sasha’s dedication that led to the rules for paid-for beauty campaigns being changed.

Sasha isn't the only one that pushed for the change though. Just last week, former Little Mix member Jesy Nelson ranted about her disgust at all filters for changing the shape of her nose.

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“I don’t understand why Instagram feels the need to literally squash your nose and make it really skinny.

"Like, what’s wrong with a standard nose? I’m just so confused as to why whoever makes these filters thinks that that’s what beautiful is. I just think it’s bloody weird,” she said.

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So what does this mean for the rest of us, who simply use filters for fun on our stories or feed? They aren’t set to go anywhere just yet.

But for the sake of all our mental health, to protect the youngsters that see what we post on the apps, and to ultimately not forget what real beauty really is, maybe next time you click “post”, think about showing the real you.

After all, that’s what your followers are really there to see.

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