The (not so) hidden dangers of Instagram face

(Welcome to the Wednesday newsletter! Each week, I’m publishing a new pop culture essay from a freelancer. Remember: Your subscription fee helps me pay these freelancers for their efforts! This week: Mahevash Shaikh on the rise of Instagram face and all of the problems therein.)

As a teenager in the early 2000s, I was obsessed with what was called “natural beauty,” because back then, so was the media. Celebrities were called out for going under the knife, and female celebrities, especially, would be slammed for having a cosmetic procedure (or several). The criticism was consistent: These celebrities were plastic and not naturally beautiful.

Those days are over. With the rise of Instagram face, the natural beauty obsession is dying down. If you’re wondering what the hell Instagram face is, writer Jia Tolentino describes it as: “a young face, of course, with poreless skin and plump, high cheekbones. It has catlike eyes and long, cartoonish lashes; it has a small, neat nose and full, lush lips. The face is distinctly white but ambiguously ethnic.”

Instagram face has gone mainstream, and in the process, it has nearly killed the age-old natural beauty obsession. Altering one’s appearance as per beauty standards is no longer solely a rich person’s game. With free filters and apps, anyone can look good online.

This may seem like good news on the surface, but it isn’t. For one thing, our beauty standards are incredibly eurocentric, built to present an idea of attractiveness deeply tied to white womanhood. And it’s not as though women have stopped being judged and put down for their appearance. Young ladies and other femme-presenting people sometimes want to look like their online avatars in real life, and are visiting plastic surgeons to do just that. Due to the prevalence of filters on social media, cosmetic procedures to look flawless in real life are quickly becoming the norm.

How can we escape this vicious cycle of tearing down women via whatever means are most readily accessible at the moment? How can we celebrate individuality and diversity instead of aspiring to look like clones of each other? We’re not going to solve these complex, age-old issues instantly. But we can take some steps in the right direction by taking steps to push back against Instagram face and mitigate the damage it can do.

Here are four steps we can take to do just that.

1. Teach and practice radical self-acceptance at home

Broadening the narrow spectrum of beauty is the only path to true inclusivity. One major goal of parents and others who care for children should be to teach them to value who they are, instead of who they are not. For instance: Celebrating unique racial features (like strong noses and hooded eyes) can help shatter the prevalence of the eurocentric beauty standard and push back against the structural racism baked into our society.

You might think that your kids are smart enough to know the difference between Instagram and reality or that they are aware of public figures digitally manipulating all their photos and videos to achieve physical perfection. However, this knowledge doesn't matter because they are constantly surrounded by flawless celebrities and influencers. I remember comparing myself to magazine shots of actresses and feeling dissatisfied with my appearance. Can you imagine the pressure kids today put up with? Yet like always, kids are known for imitating their parents’ behavior and actions.

So don’t be afraid to be imperfect around your kids or on social media. They’ll learn life lessons they will ideally carry forward into their adult lives.

Titania Jordan, Chief Parenting Officer at Bark, told me, “It’s no secret that social media and unrealistic beauty ideals are directly tied to the severe body image issues our kids are facing. Over the course of 2020, Instagram was the second-most frequently flagged platform for severe body image concerns, right up there with Twitter and TikTok. Instagram Face is a classic example of a distorted beauty ideal that is contributing to these horrific stats and kids’ declining self-confidence.

"So how do we, as parents, combat it?" she continued. "We need to celebrate our diversity in all areas: ethnicity, culture, body type, interests. We also need to work harder to challenge social norms that are hurting our kids by modeling and sharing the good, real, vulnerable stuff, too. Pores. Cellulite. Blemishes. Birthmarks. No human is perfect, and we are doing this generation a disservice if we perpetuate that myth of the airbrushed, flawless beauty.”

2. Shift the focus from beauty to fitness and self-love

As per a 2011 study, older people value their body’s health and performance over appearance when it comes to getting fit. But wouldn’t it be great if we could learn to do this when we are young? Don’t look for the media or most influencers to help make this happen, however. Their default role is to sell the latest beauty and fashion trends.

But there are quite a few people working to make ‘beauty conformity’ uncool. For example, Constanza Concha (@skinnoshame) is a skin-positive influencer who refuses to hide her acne. Or Jessie Diaz-Herrera (@curveswithmoves) is a dance fitness instructor who is unapologetic about being plus size. So when you tell kids about the importance of fitness, make sure those conversations also mention influencers who are healthy and folks who love themselves even though they do not meet social expectations of beauty and size. And share posts made by these influencers often.

I reached out to counselor Kerry Heath, and she believes that education will help make a difference.

"As a certified eating disorder specialist, I believe the key to helping young people to shift their focus from beauty to one of overall health and wellness is for the adult influencers in their lives to be educated. They need to know the negative impact on children when we as a society follow an arbitrary set of societal standards of attractiveness and fitness to the detriment of our well-being. These influencers include parents, educators, medical professionals, and the fitness and entertainment industry. Adults influence our youth. They follow our lead. If we value aesthetics over physical and mental health, so will they.”

3. Do a social media audit

Having real conversations and leading by example are great, but not enough. There’s a whole world of media and celebrities out there having a strong impact on young people, and consequently, the world is full of Photoshop and filters. But there are Instagram accounts like @celebface, @beauty.false, @fatherkelstruth, and @s0cialmediavsreality who share unfiltered photos, and it’s good to encourage kids to follow them so they can see that even the most beautiful people are not flawless.

Following relevant hashtags is also a good idea. My feed improved considerably when I began to follow the filterdrop hashtag. Makeup artist Sasha Louise Pallari started the #FilterDrop campaign in 2020 in an effort to stop women from using filters. The campaign is still going strong. Seeing real women owning who they are has been a refreshing change for me, especially after having seen a sea of digitally altered women and feeling ugly in comparison.

Eating disorders therapist Laurie Wollman points out that it is important not just to follow the right people, but also to unfollow the wrong people. She shared some exclusive tips on how to do an audit with me. “Take a moment to identify what messages you want to receive when browsing social media and what content you would like to eliminate. Go through your social media accounts and unfollow those who do not meet your principles. Then, use the opportunity to search for new content that more closely aligns with your interests and provides you value. Disregarding aesthetic trends and honoring who you are in this moment can help you embrace all that you are, perfectly imperfect.”

4. Support apps that are accountable.

Apps like Instagram and Snapchat need to do better by their users and especially to ensure that they do not destroy the self-confidence of young people. Timur Khabirov, the founder of photo editing app Prequel, takes this very seriously. When I reached out to him, his passion for not letting technology destroy the self-confidence of young people shone through. “App creators need to take responsibility for the effects that their technology has on self-confidence and beauty norms. Not taking responsibility means contributing to the creation of another layer in the societal structures rooted in patriarchy.”

Prequel has certainly taken steps to promote realistic standards of beauty and self-love.

“Our app is built on self-expression and creativity. We aim to give users all the necessary tools — not for changing themselves but for augmenting reality, with emphasis on creativity.

"For Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day this year, we introduced a series of topical filters to celebrate and support all women. Among them, there was an effect called ‘Pretty’. It actually kept the user image unchanged. The idea was to normalize the ideas of diversity, individuality, authenticity. Another effect called ‘WMN PWR’ adds text captions themed around empowerment and affirmation, which is meant to help users express themselves and their beliefs. These are two of the product features meant to promote the concept that women don’t need — and ultimately nobody needs — to adjust themselves to imposed external standards.”

Will any of this help end the unhealthy obsession with beauty? After all, this isn’t just a 21st-century issue. For centuries, women and femme-presenting people all over the world have been valued or devalued on the basis of their beauty. Makeup and cosmetic procedures aren’t exactly new either.

But Instagram Face is toxic on a whole new level. While denormalizing it won’t break the cycle, it would be a pretty good start.

Episodes is published three times per week and edited by me, Emily VanDerWerff. Mondays feature my thoughts on assorted topics. Wednesdays offer pop culture thoughts from freelance writers. Fridays are TV recaps written by myself. The Wednesday and Friday editions are only available to subscribers. Suggest topics for future installments via email or on Twitter. Read more of my work at Vox.