The increase in social media and available technology has seen a rise in the number of edited photos and the use of filters. For me, this poses the question – why do we feel the need to artificially change who we are in photos before posting them?

I think there are two main aspects to this:

1. We are putting them on social media and we like to ‘feel’ our best – I deliberately say the word ‘feel’ rather than ‘look’
2. We are aspiring towards that flawless look, even though practically, it will not always be possible

Now to me, both of these statements are related, because both of them come back to the idea that ‘flawless’ is real and ‘flawless’ is required.

There has been some incredible content shared that highlights how worryingly easy it is to change our appearances using apps and editing software – @emclarkson has shared some awesome content on this and so have both @danaemercer and @sashalouisepallari – to name only a few examples.

One of the strangest examples I have encountered was when meeting a friend’s girlfriend for the very first time in person.  I had seen plenty of pictures of them together on social media and was therefore confident that I would be able to pick her out from a crowd easily. Well… I couldn’t have been more wrong – she looked completely different in person and I almost didn’t recognise her! To me, it felt so strange that she could have such a different physical appearance online versus reality.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not against these apps if used in the right way – I love looking fabulous and flawless. So, although I’m all for playing around with these apps to experiment with different looks (YouCam Make Up, for example, can be fun if considering a new hair colour or experimenting with make up colours on your skin tone) I also appreciate that that isn’t me in reality.

The main point that I want to get across is that, when considering permanent changes to your appearance – either surgically or not, using these filters can be a really risky reference point and you may be trying to aim for something that isn’t realistic. For example, when using a filter, it doesn’t take into consideration your actual features, your skin type and tone, the muscle physiology and bone structure of your body and your general health and wellbeing.

This is where tracking comes in and highlights why it is so important – allowing you to focus on YOUR own personal look. With a beauty app tracking tool, like Myrror, you can track your own personal changes, securely, and feel in control throughout the whole process.

On top of having a reference point, and a realistic goal when considering any potential changes, it is also really important to approach beauty treatments with care. During lockdown there has been a huge shift towards at home beauty treatments. These are fantastic and have been a saviour to many throughout lockdown, however we do need to be mindful that professionals train FOR YEARS to achieve their qualifications and skills, so we can’t expect to try and achieve results doing it ourselves after a YouTube crash course! It can therefore be even riskier when trying to recreate a look inspired by a filter app.

You are unique, embrace that and remember – No Filter, No Fear