Aged 13, I became obsessed with taking selfies. I would pout and post and watch the likes roll in. Rinse and repeat. Except what I was capturing on my phone’s camera wasn’t actually me – it was a beautified version of my face that wasn’t real. The person on my screen bore a resemblance to me, but everything was polished to perfection. She had a narrower face, a smaller nose, smoother skin, plump lips and enlarged Pixar princess-style eyes. I was enamoured with the results. Every picture I posted would be that unattainable version of my face.
I had become hooked on using beauty filters: an AI-powered digital tool that can enhance a person’s appearance in real time. Apply one of these filters and you’ll look like Kim Kardashian’s sixth sister, a Victoria’s Secret model or someone who has undergone a series of drastic tweakments, since the filters are often designed to cater to current hegemonic standards of beauty.
