If you’re on the internet, there’s a high chance you’re probably on Instagram. Instagram has swelled to nearly 1 billion users (far surpassing one-time rival, Snapchat) and it’s now the second most popular social network trailing behind Facebook. But with that popularity has come a hefty amount of pressure to look perfect, spawning a slew a photoshop apps and an increase in both men and women seeking plastic surgery.
Taking place of glossy, heavily edited magazines from the pre-internet era, impressionable girls and young women look to Instagram for perfection and, sadly, comparison. But what we see on Instagram is not reality. Heavy use of filters, advanced photoshop apps, and plastic surgery is drastically changing the way people look, some so altered they have become unrecognizable. One of the most popular accounts putting a bright spotlight on this phenomenon is CelebFace.
CelebFace shows us what most glossed-over Instagram accounts won’t: reality.
While some people might considering accounts like this “bully-like” or “throwing shade,” done in a tasteful way free of name-calling or insults (as CelebFace has done), they are actually doing a very important public service; showing people that many of these “ideal” looks have only been achieved through artificial manipulation, whether through photoshop or plastic surgery. CelebFace shows us what most glossed-over Instagram accounts won’t: reality. Without this knowledge, many people (namely vulnerable young girls and women) might scroll through drastically enhanced photos of models, celebrities, and Instagram influencers, and feel bad about themselves. Instead, accounts like CelebFace shatter the illusion and bring a sense of reality (and relief) to people who may not realize just how prevalent photoshop and cosmetic surgeries are.
We’re all for people doing what they need to do to feel happy and confident -even if that includes plastic surgery, but it needs to come with transparency and honesty. CelebFace fills the otherwise hush-hush void of photoshop and plastic surgery. With the increase of depression, anxiety, and eating disorders across the world, much of it brought on by social media, accounts like CelebFace, (dare we say) could actually help those suffering from self-esteem issues. And, if you ask us, that’s a wonderful thing.
