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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think photo filters are going too far?

38 replies

IGiorni · 21/07/2018 09:18

You literally can’t tell what some people on social media look like in real life, and I don’t mean celebs. Someone has put a photo in a Facebook group saying she’s been told she looks like a Disney princess and everyone’s replying with comments about it being because of her big beautiful eyes. She actually doesn’t have eyes like that though, it’s a Snapchat filter A relative is plugging weight loss shakes and keeps putting ‘after’ photos of herself on, they literally look nothing like her at all - she doesn’t even look real in some of them. Why do people do it? Is it an attention seeking thing?

OP posts:

ethelfleda · 21/07/2018 09:21

Probably - or very low self esteem in a culture where 'likes' on social media mean everything and being are increasingly become more vain and vacuous.

My advice is to quite social media altogether. Honestly, it makes you so much happier!

PrincessPear · 21/07/2018 09:21

I can’t get worked up about this. Each to their own - if people want to alter their photos, that’s on them.

ethelfleda · 21/07/2018 09:21

That should say 'people are'!!

DayManChampionOfTheSun · 21/07/2018 09:22

I have no idea why they do it but you anbu.

The ones I have most are babies with filters. Why do that? I get some of them when its adult and baby with stupid faces - one offs can be quite funny. But WHY take a pic of your baby with an enhancement filter on?

DayManChampionOfTheSun · 21/07/2018 09:23

**hate most not have most!

Whattheactualfuckmate · 21/07/2018 09:24

I didn’t recognise some one I know in the street as I’d got so used to seeing her through snap chat filter. She looks nothing like it.

I think she has low self esteem and keeps using it because she gets lots of ‘great photo’ ‘ you look gorgeous hun’ ..

Haworthia · 21/07/2018 09:25

I know someone who puts that weird filter that makes skin look smooth like a waxwork on everything. Friends, kids, babies - creepy as fuck

PrincessPear · 21/07/2018 09:25

That’s a bit weird.

I take pictures of my DS with the animal face ones because he finds them funny and loves looking at photos of himself lol.

BrightRedPencil · 21/07/2018 09:28

Yes - I read an article on this that said future generations will want to remove the filters to see what people/scenes actually looked like.
I find the big eyes and skin softening filters so obvious and it makes people look so vain!! I also really really dislike the filters that make the colours ridiculously vivid. I have a friend who does this. Everyone compliments on what a beautiful photo of the local pub/village hall/her front gate she's taken. In reality it's a fairly standard place but viewed as if you're on acid.

FiftyShadesOfDuckEggBlue · 21/07/2018 09:33

There are so many layers to this. But it's not a new thing and it's been around before the invention of photography. If you look at portraits of the bourgeoisie from previous centuries, there were all sort of enhancements.

What is worrying me personally is that all these sepia and vintagey filters I've been using for a while now, or the ones that make parts of the photo blurry, will look really dated in a few years. Hardly the thing that keeps me up at night though.

JustVent · 21/07/2018 09:35

This cracks me up!!

Marymarg · 21/07/2018 09:35

I've seen peoples photos on fb then seen them in real life & thought, wth happened to you! You looked lovely the other day online.
One of my friends on Facebook has had too much sun over the years & looks dreadful in RL, really wrinkled. on Facebook she looks lovely.

I'm one of a few who puts unfiltered photos on of me looking natural (like shit)
My nieces do it, they're 19 & 21, way too pretty to be doing it but it's the thing to do seemingly.

donthaveascooby · 21/07/2018 09:36

Lol a friend does this on all her pics on fakebook and her husbands mates started taking the mic out of him - wow Fred your skin is so smooth and glowing what face cream do you use etc...

It was brilliant! But she still hasn't stopped

Aeroflotgirl · 21/07/2018 09:36

Filters look ridiculous, ever it knows people don't look like that in real life.

TerfsUp · 21/07/2018 09:39

I hate filters which is one of the reasons I avoid sites like SnapChat and FaceBook.

SerenDippitty · 21/07/2018 09:40

Everyone compliments on what a beautiful photo of the local pub/village hall/her front gate she's taken. In reality it's a fairly standard place but viewed as if you're on acid.

The flip side of this is that if you do happen to be a goood photographer and know something about techniques, everyone assumes it’s just filters.....

SerenDippitty · 21/07/2018 09:41

Sorry that extra o in good was a typo, not put in for emphasis!

LexieLulu · 21/07/2018 09:46

See I don't mind filters as a obvious jokey picture.

I hate:
When people take all their holiday photos with Snapchat filters! You may want to look back at pictures in 20 years and realise how daft you were putting bunny ears on everything.

When people use the beauty filter, which I think is on android phones, on their children or babies. We've spent years improving cameras on mobile phones so you take all your photos blurry? Why does a baby need blurring? Again think about looking back at photos in years to come!

theblacklist · 21/07/2018 09:47

I knew a girl years ago, before filters who photoshopped her profile pic on dating sites.
Last I heard she had 3 dates not turn up when she waited outside a pub for them
We all thought they'd driven past and realised. Don't know if it's true but surely someone rejecting you from a photo where you don't know about it, has to be better than real life

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 21/07/2018 09:56

They're a fad and like all fads they'll be naff soon.

They weightloss shakes after pictures- if it isn't her , or are photoshopped - is fraud

ComtesseDeSpair · 21/07/2018 10:01

I have been to parties where I’ve met for the first time friends of friends I’d only previously seen in Facebook photos; and realised they look absolutely nothing like those photos. It’s a bit weird, and there must be a tacit agreement where the subject’s friends and family commenting on the photos know that they’re filtered and edited to within an inch of their lives, but pretend they aren’t. But then I think, we all want to look our best selves in photos and if some filtering makes people feel good about themselves then who am I to judge that.

brizzledrizzle · 21/07/2018 10:02

I don't get why adults are doing it, I mean it's a bit of fun if you are 12/13 or whatever but when you are in your 30s/40s/50s it's daft. Grow up!

HopefullyAnonymous · 21/07/2018 10:04

My SIL lives for a good filtered selfie, to the point where one of the DCs saw a picture of her on Facebook with their cousin and asked who she was. She is unrecognisable in RL compared to Instagram. She also filters pictures of her DCs which I find bizarre; surely your own kids are beautiful enough!

I think it’s done for the temporary ego/confidence boost of likes/comments. Sad really.

Aeroflotgirl · 21/07/2018 10:18

Adults donning cartoon animal features, and massive Animae type eyes, just make it look stupid.

Celticlassie · 21/07/2018 10:24

All these blurry things meant to give you smooth skin look ridiculous. Everyone can see that that's not what you look like so you wonder what they're hiding.

And I don't get grown women with cartoon Bambi noses or flower crowns.

Clearly I'm getting old.

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