Unfiltered

I struggle with body image issues. I know that I’m not the only one. So, when someone speaks out, it inspires me. I recently watched a YouTube video dedicated to normalizing photoshop and sharing celebrity secrets. I was all for most of the video; emphasis on most. 

This YouTuber/Influencer opened her video by disclosing her use of face tune and filters, which I loved. I do follow her, so I already knew. She’s always been super honest about it. She’s done videos showing how she edits and everything. We love transparency! 

I feel like it’s safe to say that most of us edit our photos in some way, whether it’s changing colors, smoothing out skin, or adjusting our bodies. I’ll be the first to admit I edit my photos. I’ve never adjusted my body or used face tune, but I’m guilty of smoothing out my skin. I’m insecure about my skin. I have discoloration as well as breakout-prone skin. Let me be clear; there is nothing wrong with discoloration or breakouts or anything! I am not confident enough to rock my skin. I admire those who can. I also like to adjust my colors. It makes a difference, I swear. It lets me express myself more creatively and get the mood across. 

Before I go on, I’d like to stress I don’t think there’s anything wrong with photoshop or plastic surgery. We haven’t gotten to that part yet, but I still want to stress that! As far as photoshop goes, I’d like to encourage utilizing it less. It’s important to normalize it. It’s also important to normalize the unfiltered side of social media. 

Unrealistic standards have taken over; standards created by photoshop as well as plastic surgery. I will stress it again I don’t think there is anything wrong with plastic surgery, as long as it’s safe! But seeing the aftermath of plastic surgery can be detrimental to the idea of the “perfect” look. I know firsthand what it feels like to work towards the “perfect” look. It’s like running a marathon that never ends. These expectations are unobtainable. But they’re glorified through social media and the paparazzi. 

This YouTuber addresses the unfair advantages that celebrities have. Such as access to the best of the best in the plastic surgery world. Or the greatest of the great in the photography world. I mean, I’m taking all my photos alone with a cheap tripod I purchased on Amazon. It can be discouraging as a creator to feel average. Like, my work, as proud of it as I am, isn’t good enough. It isn’t as aesthetically pleasing. This YouTuber drove this point home. 

Influencing is a competitive field. Believe me; I understand that these influencers depend on likes. This YouTuber mentioned the fact that her edited, over-the-top photos received more likes. I get that. But am I the only one who prefers the more real pictures? Like, pictures of obtainable activities or views. Maybe it’s just me, but I like to see relatable. 

This video is exploding with honest truths. 

Let’s put aside the honesty about her photos. She takes a deep dive into paparazzi photos as well as selfies of celebrities. She breaks down her thoughts, feelings, and concerns about the editing. I don’t know if what she said is true. I have no way to check, but I was intrigued. She said that some celebrities pay paparazzi to take their photos. Then they edit those photos. Again, I don’t know if that’s true. It’s honestly hearsay. But if it’s true, it’s not surprising. 

This video was also brought to you by the Khole Kardashian photo leak! I’d like to say that I didn’t see the photo until I saw this video. I knew it was a thing because I’d seen reports on it. Regardless, I thought Khole looked great. I won’t make this a Kardashian post, but I felt like that showed a real problem. As I said, we all edit our photos.  We all want to feel confident and beautiful in our photos. As we freakin should! But it feels a little extreme the way Khole went about an unedited picture. I think Khole could have addressed the fabulous unedited photo and still post an edited one! That’s my opinion. 

It was a prime opportunity to speak out about photoshop. There is nothing wrong with using it. I cannot stress that enough! But we need to address it when it happens. Brushing it under the rug just adds to the problem. I honestly have more admiration for the people who speak up when there’s editing. 

I was on the same page as this YouTuber through most of the video. She had me! I was “yes girl” through 98% of the video. That last 2%, got me though. 

While she was expressing the competitive nature of being an influencer, she mentioned how she felt compelled to edit. Like, editing was the only way she was going to be relevant. Something about this section of the video just rubbed me the wrong way. As I mentioned, I gravitate towards relatable photos. So, it broke my heart when she said that! You’re normalizing photoshop, so why can’t you normalize normal? 

But then it got me thinking. Are we to blame? We’re the ones who continue to like these photoshop photos. We’re the ones encouraging these standards. Some of us are also the ones aspiring to these unobtainable standards. Hi, I am one of those people! 

Why are we expecting celebrities or influencers to change these standards? Why can’t we, the people, do it? I think it would be great if more celebrities and influencers were open about photoshop, but it shouldn’t be all on them. We have more power than we realize. I mean, we’re the ones encouraging these standards. So, we should be the ones changing these standards. We need to be more vocal about photoshop. We need to be more inclusive. We can be the ones to show all sides! With or without filters! 

You’re beautiful without or without the filters or photoshop. 

You can listen to the rantier side of this post on Off the Paigee. Subscribe wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!