Selfie Made: Is Looking Better On Instagram Than Real Life Worth It?

Selfie Made: When You Look Better On Instagram Than Real Life

Who doesn’t love a good selfie? If you are on Instagram, and here’s betting you are, you’ve probs doctored an image or two. Are we filtering and #nofilter-ing our way through life?

These days of reality TV overload and insta-public documentation of our every move, location, and meal has left us feeling the need to be camera ready at any given moment. But what non-reality star without the hair and makeup people has the ability to pull that off? No one. That means a little handy camera work has to take place, and take place often. You know how some women have that ethereal glow no matter what time of day they are posting and, yes, even on those “look how horrible I woke up” shots? It’s a filter.

Leandra Medine recently penned an article on an Instagram lashing out over an image she posted of her bare face. And she’s the Man Repeller, people! If she can’t get by with posting a not-so-perfect pic, who amongst us can hope to? In the article Medine goes on to say this inspired her to seek the help of a makeup artist who taught her how to diminish her flaws and highlight her attributes via contouring.

The question is … why do we have to look so freakin’ perfect all the time? Why is it not ok to post a pic where you look human? Is it because it is forever immortalized on the interwebs? Is it because an old boyfriend, rival or potential client may see you with a zit or dark undereye circles? Or is it because everyone else online seems to be flawless? Even when we happen to get a shot of ourselves that looks good, no manipulation, it has to be announced with a #nofilter tag. And even then, does anyone really believe it hasn’t been enhanced a little bit?

It leads us to wonder what we are doing to our young girls. They see teens on Nickelodeon or Disney Channel leading their daily lives in full makeup, done hair, and heels. Every Instagrammer or YouTuber they follow is picture perfect. Our society is inundating girls with the image of faultless looking people who are really just like them, zits and all. Can this really be good for anyone’s self esteem?

Then there are those of us who are decidedly unphotogenic. No filter, contouring, or app can do the justice of a mirror or real life because we can’t seem to take a good pic to save our lives. What’s a camera shy girl to do? That’s where those hand, lap, and feet shots come in handy. I speak from experience.

If you are simultaneously wagging your head in dismay over the horribleness of the filter generation and wondering which of those filters, exactly, would make you love your selfie more, here’s a list of which filters and apps to use to enhance your selfies.

CreamCam: Maybe the only retouch app any of us really need. This free app turns skin from real to flawless in an instant.

ModiFace: A free photo editor with reshaping and feature enhancing basics.

Perfect365: Hailed as the “one-tap makeover”, this free app lets you zap any spots, resize, and reshape.

Photo Wonder: This free app mixes serious with fun. Your basic retouch functions with creative background and collage choices.

Pixtr: A fancier retouching app that gets you picture perfect in one tap for $2.99.

Facetune: Fix your smile, skin, coloring, shape, hair, and just about anything else with this effects app for $3.99.

These are all fun and even kind of addictive. So what’s the harm done? Unless you are sending retouched pics out as headshots for paid modeling gigs, I can see none. But how great would it be to see a trend in posting real, unadulterated images of ourselves? You go first.

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Image of girl taking selfie via Shutterstock

Liz Thompson

Liz Thompson is an organic beauty expert who has been researching and writing on the subjects of natural beauty, health, and wellness for over 10 years. She specializes in sharing safe beauty products and her knowledge on healthy ingredients with her readers, and helping organic beauty brands and shop owners share their message and products with the world through her writing services.