#filteredreality

Gen Z, Filters, & Self-Image: The surprising Truth Hey fam! Do those perfect selfies ever leave you feeling…less than perfect? This video explores how beauty filters are subtly reshaping Gen Z's self-perception – a fascinating look at pop culture and its impact on our minds. Hit that like button and subscribe for more! Ever wonder why everyone online seems impossibly perfect? This video examines the surprising science behind beauty filters and their impact on Gen Z's self-image. We'll explore the neurological effects of filtered images, the pervasive social comparison trap on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, and the alarming rise in body dysmorphia and anxiety linked to excessive filter use. We'll uncover how these seemingly harmless to

We Are Slave—Oops, I Mean Made of Fakeness

(It’s Not Just Surgery—It’s a Show, and We’re All Cast in It)

We don’t just modify our bodies anymore—we modify our entire image. Filters sculpt our faces before surgeons do. Aesthetic templates tell us what’s “hot,” and what's not. If we don't adapt? We risk being erased. In an era where looking good is survival, body modification isn’t a choice—it’s an expectation.

1. The Illusion of Choice: Are We Changing for Ourselves or for the Algorithm?

_Plastic Surgery? How about Image Surgery?

Before we go further, let’s get one thing straight: body modification isn’t just about surgery.

Everything gets an update—including what it even means to modify ourselves.

It’s not just the knife. It’s filters, contour, gym grinds, fashion overalls, camera angles. Heck, even a swipe of mascara and call it a day counts. Opting out? Not an option.

But here’s the kicker: Body modification isn’t the villain—pressure is. Beauty trends move faster than iPhone updates, and if you can’t keep up? You’re out.

One moment, razor-sharp cheekbones reign supreme. The next? ‘Soft girl’ beauty takes over—but only if the softness is sculpted just right.

And let’s be real, the no-makeup makeup look doesn’t mean actually bare-faced. Your skin better be flawless—naturally or, ahem, with a little help. (No hate to my fellow plastic surgery besties - it’s your body, your choice! You're cool.)

So, who decides these trends? Because it sure as hell isn’t the people draining their bank accounts trying to keep up.

_JoJo, Have You Learned NOTHING? You’re Too Old! Also, Grow Up!

Remember that whole thing about stereotypes back in Week 4? (If you’ve read it, you’ll know what I mean! Just wanna make sure😏) 

Yeah, well, plot twist: It’s not just about genders and sexuality anymore, because the new girl has arrived: The ‘acceptable’ way to be an adult. 

And no one felt that pressure harder than JoJo Siwa. 

She didn’t go under the knife (I think?), but let’s be real—she had to remodel herself to fit the part. If body modification is about survival, then this is its final form: Image modification.

Now don’t get me wrong, what she did is a mess, but let’s be real; she was handed a checklist: 

🎀The bows? Juvenile.  ✨The sparkles? Cringe. 

The new script?

💋Smudge the eyeliner.  🔊Ditch the high pitch 🦵🏿Rip the fishnets.  💦Act provocatively.  🍻Chug booze on stage ✒️Flaunt tattoos like war medals. (they’re fake btw).  👶Talk about little kiddies. 🔞And, of course, sprinkle in some NSFW content.

(not that she had time to figure it out before the world forced her hand—but hey, give the girl a break, she’s trying) 

_Insert Coin to Continue: The Cost of Being ‘Seen’

Just like that, Jojo wasn’t a kid anymore—she was reprogrammed. And of course, the internet had opinions (as always). 

“That’s what adulthood is supposed to look like, right?” -little JoJo thinks.

But did JoJo actually choose this transformation? Or was it a survival tactic?

And mate, I call this - “the trap”.

Body modification isn’t just about lips and hips anymore—it’s about shaping an entire image to fit a mold. And when the mold shifts, so must we.

JoJo didn’t just change—she had NO choice. The world would never let her stay the same. And fame? Fame doesn’t reward authenticity—it rewards adaptability. 

New image or full-blown surgery? Doesn’t matter. JoJo only gets one real choice: Adapt or die.

2. I Can’t Believe It’s Not Me! A Guide to Looking ‘Real’ (By coughing the money up)

_When Your Existence Needs a Glow-Up

We’re told self-love is the answer—but if you feel ugly?

That’s on you.

Every flaw is your personal project to fix. No pressure, though! Just a quick filler here, a gym membership there, a thousand-dollar serum—boom! You’re “empowered” now. 

You CHOSE this yourself, right?

Yay! You “escaped” the male gaze…

...Only to be enslaved by capitalism.

Flawlessness has never been more expensive, yet we’re still expected to achieve it effortlessly. Self-love didn’t free us—it just gave us new ways to hate ourselves. 

(Somehow, we still gotta look hot while falling apart.)

And social media? It thrives on this cycle. Algorithms don’t just reflect beauty standards—they enforce them. The more engagement a body type gets, the more the system amplifies it. Platforms don’t just show us what’s trending; they make sure it stays trending—until it’s time to sell us the next look.

Carah and Dobson (2016) explain that algorithms track which body types get the most engagement and push them even further, making beauty a numbers game where visibility equals value.

If you can’t do that? The algorithm swipes left. 

_Congrats! You’re a Trend Now. Hope You Age Well

So, we’ve dragged modern "body modification"—a.k.a. "Image Surgery"—through the mud. But what about the OG version?

You know, the real knives-and-needles kind? The one that doesn’t just tweak your Instagram aesthetic but permanently reshapes you?

Once upon a time, the BBL was the must-have body upgrade. And guess who led the charge? The queen of body trends herself - Kim Kardashian.

She didn’t follow the trend—she was the trend. Hyper-curvy became the gold standard of desirability. But the moment slim and “natural” came back? She deflated faster than Wall Street in ‘29.

Kim didn’t just sell a body type—she sold an entire industry. And when she cashed out, the beauty economy followed.

As Dorfman et al. (2017) point out, Instagram isn’t just flexing glow-ups; it’s fueling a billion-dollar plastic surgery pipeline, turning young adults into prime targets.

_Your BBL Is Overdue!

The worst part?

↪️Kim can afford to hit ‘undo.’ 

😭The rest of us? We’re stuck with yesterday’s trend on bodies that today’s beauty standard has already abandoned.

Today it’s BBLs, tomorrow it’s something else—but the system never changes.

Drenten, Gurrieri and Tyler (2019) make it clear—visibility is currency, and if you can’t cash in, you’re out. The algorithm doesn’t do nostalgia.

3. The Ultimate Scam: It Was Never About Bodies, It’s About CONTROL

_Body Modification: The New Cage of Beauty – If You Don’t Change, You’ll Disappear

Body modification isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about proving something. 

Prove you’re sexy, but not too sexy. Be strong, but still desirable. Improve yourself, but in an acceptable way.

It’s not about personal choice anymore; it’s about survival of the most “beautiful”. Change your body, or risk becoming invisible. 

💪“Strong women don’t care what people think.”  (Yes, we do. That’s why we get work done or you’ll just shame us into silence again.) 💅“Real women don’t chase validation.”  (Unless it’s repackaged as empowerment—then go off, queen.) 😎“Confidence is power.”  (But not too much confidence. Stay humble, darling.)

So here we are, stuck between two impossible choices:

Modify yourself? You’re a brainwashed sellout. Stay the same? You’re insecure and outdated.

SHOCKER: We’re Not Modifying Ourselves—We’re Being Modified

At this point, body modification isn’t just about looks. It’s about staying relevant.

Kim modified her body. JoJo modified her personality.

We don’t just edit our faces or tweak our figures anymore. We modify our entire identities—piece by piece—until we fit whatever the world expects of us. 

Our bodies are now brands.

Our confidence? A product we have to buy.

...

And if we refuse to play the game?

We get erased. From relevance. From desirability. From opportunity.

So, tell me—who really benefits from all this?

Because if we’re all constantly reshaping ourselves to fit the next trend…

Who’s really in control?

Your body is expired, please update?

Maybe it’s time we stop letting the system install the updates for us...

References:

Atske, S 2021, ‘The State of Online Harassment’, Pew Research Center, viewed 21 March 2025, .

Haslop, C, O’Rourke, F & Southern, R 2021, ‘#NoSnowflakes: The toleration of harassment and an emergent gender-related digital divide, in a UK student online culture’, Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 1418–1438.

In the most literal sense, a filter is something that is used in order to remove impurities from something. However, in a more digital context it is also used to remove 'impurities', but even more so, is used to 'improve' a person's features. Rettberg (2014) notes that in a social media environment, filters are often perceived to add to an image (i.e. boosting the colour or blurring parts of an image in order to enhance another aspect) (p.21).

Filters have certainly developed over the last five years alone, where originally they were used in order to change the person's face into something silly, like a lemon. Where now, especially on very public visual social media (i.e. Instagram), filters are used to meet an 'ideal' beauty standard to fit societies heteronormative beauty principles. Often filters will smooth out the person's skin, make their lips bigger, nose smaller, even when the primary function of the filter may not be for that function, for example wanting to change your eye colour, and as a 'bonus' comes with the aforementioned features as well. Furthermore, as noted by Miller (2021), these filters *usually* take on an androgynous, caucasian appearance which begs the question of the ethical implications of filters in addition to the problems of body image and body dysmorphia that are often intensified by these filters.

A prominent example of beauty filters working their way into everyday lives, more so than our daily (even hourly use of social media, is the update made by Alipay, where they incorporated beauty filters into their payment system. Alipay is very similar to PayPal in that they are third-party and peer-to-peer (respectively) payment platforms. In 2019, Alipay made an update to their platform that added beauty filters to their facial recognition system (one way users can certify a payment, they can also use a PIN). After the initial roll-out "face-scan payments increased by 100%... and they number of women users... increased by 123%" (Li 2019 as cited by Peng 2020). In their press release announcing the update they described it as "[making] you look even prettier than with a beauty camera. I bet you'll be impressed" (Liao 2019). This casual phrasing of 'clear improvements' only reinforces the stagnant and dogged ideals society has, and their persistence in order to maintain those values is maddening as there is always so much talk of reform and supposed progress, especially in a Western format, that is so blatantly wrong and frankly patronising. There are not enough words to explain the clear bias in technology development and the systemised oppression by men in order to bolster "patriarchal capitalism" (Peng 2020). This is further emphasised by the male values that infiltrate technology development (*cough* Alipay *cough*) and manipulating "gender power relations" (Peng 2020) through the world's routine consumption of technology developed by men. The article that has been quoted is a great read to further understand the Alipay update:

https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/doi/epub/10.1080/14680777.2020.1750779?needAccess=true

This YouTube video is also great for a quick overview of the effect of filters from the perspective of social media users, medical experts and social influencers:

References:

Liao, R 2019, China’s Alipay Adds Sought-After Beauty Filters to Face-Scan Payments, Tech Crunch, viewed 21 April <https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/03/alipay-beauty-filters/>

Miller, L 2021, ‘MDA20009 Week Seven Guest Lecture Instagram Filters’, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Learning Materials via Canvas, Swinburne University of Technology, 21 April, viewed 21 April 2021

Peng, A Y 2020, ‘Alipay Adds ‘Beauty Filters’ to Face-Scan Payments: A Form of Patriarchal Control Over Women’s Bodies’, Feminist Media Studies, vol. 20, no. 4

- “One expert described how Instagram in particular might accelerate the “envy spiral” of social media: “If you see beautiful photos of your friend on Instagram,” she postulated, “one way to compensate is to self-present with even better photos, and then your friend sees your photos and posts even better photos, and so on. Self-promotion triggers more self-promotion, and the world on social media gets further and further from reality.”

- “technology makes possible many good things; political and economic conditions guarantee, however, that it is constantly warped so that the same kinds of bad patterns repeat themselves, in new and improved forms.”

- Ben Davis. “Ways of Seeing Instagram”, 2014.