I read an article in The Guardian today about “Selfie Dysphoria”
It’s an interesting article about how selfie filters are driving many people to use cosmetic surgery to make their face look more like their selfies, and how in the past people would bring photos of celebrities to a Cosmetic Surgeon whereas these days they are more likely to bring selfies with filters applied.
For the record, I keep the photo manipulation on my pics to an absolute minimum. I shape my face slightly and soften the bags under my eyes, and that’s about it. Sometimes I apply extra makeup with YouCam Makeup if the camera hasn’t picked up my own makeup (which can happen in some lighting, especially harsh natural light on a sunny day). Occasionally my smile doesn’t look quite right, and I will use YouCam Perfect to improve it.
But, fundamentally, I try to keep improvements to an absolute minimum. I feel that praise and adulation on Social Media for photos that are heavily manipulated are ultimately hollow and unfulfilling.
I know many won’t agree with me, but that’s my opinion. I would much rather someone exclaimed upon meeting me in real life for the first time “Wow! You look just like your pictures!”, than “You look nothing like your pictures”. I’ve had the former said to me several times, and thankfully never had the latter.