Over Filtration

When people look nothing like their photos..

All the more, I am finding that the photos my friends post on Facebook and Instagram look nothing like them. Their skin is smoothed out, and they have also made their faces thinner. Their complexion is so white, it looks like they’ve put face paint on.

This, coupled with some twinkles, and a halo, garners such comments and praise:

“You’re so beautiful!”, and “Gorgeous!”

I mean, these people are not unattractive, far from it, so why do we feel the need to change how we look online. In a society that is so focused on body shaming, why are we, as women, feeding into this by pretending to be something that we’re not?

I’m being serious here! There are so many posts online about how we should be building each other up, but then we post these pictures, which look nothing like us.

I absolutely hate most filters. I mean, I get the adding dog ears, etc, but not the total manipulation of a face beyond the point of being able to tell who that person is.

I can honestly say that I have never used one of these filters, and nor do I intend to. I have a long term project that I have been working on, where I take a selfie a day, so that I can document how I change. I have been doing this for about four years, and I have not used one filter, or edit on these photos.

In some of them, I look fat; in some, I look like I’ve had a breakout; in some, I look tired; and some are okay. The thing is, I’m not saying that I like all, or even most of these pictures, but at the same time, the project is not about making these images look better, or acceptable. They are an honest account of me through the years.

In the past I would often try and pretend to be something I’m not, in order to fit in, but I have learned that this is not me. I don’t fit it. In fact, I don’t think I ever have, and I am learning to be okay with that.

What I’m trying to say is, people; ladies; you are beautiful, just as you are. You don’t need those temporary images that don’t reflect the real you.

Let people like you or dislike you as they want to, because they will do that anyway, no matter how hard you try to please them.

Post your real photos proudly, because when it comes down to it, if someone is only liking you for a doctored photo, then are they really someone you want in your life?