The Bold Glamor filter on TikTok is just the tip of the iceberg of hyper-realistic beauty filters on the platform. But this filter is also dangerous for the mental health of teenagers in particular.
Bold Glamor on TikTok: the start of something dangerous
Every now and then a filter goes viral on TikTok that everyone should try. Like the filter that inverts your image so you see how others see you. The past period has mainly revolved around the filter that makes you look like a teenager, but the most successful filter of the past month is without a doubt Bold Glamour. This beauty filter effortlessly makes almost everyone look a lot prettier.
For years, apps like TikTok and Snapchat have had the ability to give yourself a little upgrade. Your skin will then become a bit more even, your teeth whiter and subtle eye shadow may be added. Over the years, these beauty filters have gotten better. Even the shape of your face is subtly adjusted while it is often not even clear that a filter is on.
The illusion remains
Until now, the magic of these filters easily fell away. Suppose you have turned on such a filter with make-up and you hold your hand in front of your eyes and mouth, then the eye shadow, eyelashes and lipstick can be seen on top of your hand. With Bold Glamor that is no longer the case.
Bold Glamor does a lot. You get fuller lips, whiter teeth, a tighter jawline, smooth skin, make-up, thicker eyebrows and shiny hair. With one it looks exaggerated and fake, but with the other it looks super realistic.
And the most special thing is that the effect is maintained if you hold your hand in front of it. You can even rub your eyebrows or lips and the illusion won’t go away. This makes these filters more realistic than ever.
What’s still real?
Making people more beautiful digitally is of course not new. Models that appear in magazine advertisements, on a billboard or in the shop window have all been digitally polished.
With TikTok, it’s a bit different. Through this app you get a glimpse into the lives of all kinds of people. There is a hint of authenticity over it, because it was often recorded spontaneously via a smartphone. Especially for young girls, these filters create the impression that everyone looks so ‘perfect’ and that has an effect on mental health.
Studies tell that TikTok can be harmful
Several studies have been conducted on this. For example, for one research from 2022, published in Body Image, surveyed 778 young women about their TikTok use. Our findings suggest that regular and consistent use of TikTok may be detrimental to women’s body image.
Young people who use social media are three times more likely to be depressed, stilt Huntsman Mental Health Institute. Young women between the ages of 15 and 24 are particularly at risk. Over the past 20 years, the number of women in this category committing suicide has increased by 87 percent.
Even recent research from Instagram itself found that one in three teenage girls has a negative view of their own body and that using social media reinforces that feeling because these girls mirror themselves in what they see there.
Snapchat Dysmorphia
The dangerous thing about these effects on TikTok is not only that you mirror yourself to the unrealistic forms of beauty of others. You also see yourself in a completely different way. If you often make videos and then use a filter, the image in your head will no longer match what you see in the mirror.
This phenomenon has been going on for years Snapchat Dysmorphia because that’s where the trend of realistic filters started. TikTok has now overtaken Snapchat in terms of users and the quality of filters.
More and more people are doing something to equalize the image between filter and reality with the help of plastic surgery. They then only have to show a screenshot of themselves with a filter to the surgeon to tell them what they want.
Due to the major steps that artificial intelligence is now taking, these filters will continue to improve. Bold Glamor is probably just the beginning. And the more realistic it gets, the more dangerous it is. Especially for the vulnerable group of teenage girls.
TikTok in disrepute
TikTok remains a controversial app. Earlier we wrote about the connection between China and TikTok. ByteDance has now announced that it will store the data of European users in Europe.
However, the app is committed to protecting teenagers, for example by limiting who can send them a DM. In terms of filters, the app does not yet offer warnings.
You can talk about suicidal thoughts anonymously: chat via www.113.nl, call 113 or call free 0800-0113.
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