The thing about filters is they surpass physical reality. We’re no longer just feeling bad because we don’t look like super models, we’re starting to feel bad for looking human.
Texture, having pores, fine lines, dark circles, non symmetrical face. I have a little sister who is chronically on tiktok and she bullies me by going up to my face and say “ew your makeup is cakey, you have bumps on your face” it’s insane to me what she thinks isn’t normal…
I'm 41 and very much remember a time before digital photography and the Internet but I still have to constantly remind myself that people have texture and pores, acne, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles... It is ridiculous how it's affected my perception of myself. 😢 I had a first gen digital camera when I was a teen and I would Photoshop them so much that they didn't look real. And I had great skin! So for people prone to dysmorphia, filters are awful for our messed up psyches 😢
@@grapejuice5872that's so sad. She's going to struggle so much with aging. This is creating a real psychological problem. I thought beauty standards sucked in the 90s but could never have imagined how much worse it would get. I worry for young women most of all. It scares me that they don't know what real humans look like...
This is exactly why I don't post photos with filters and I'll never edit photos. My brain wouldn't be able to handle it, I already have body dysmorphia, I cant even imagine how it would be if I edited my photos.
@@JamesWelsh I can imagine. I'm not judging anyone who uses filters, I don't know if there's anyone I follow on IG who posts Stories without a filter, but I know myself well enough to know it wouldn't be good for me. 💝
Same! the most I do is the isntagram filter that changes the lighting to make the sky look more blue (im alway hiking or at the beach). I ended up deleting socials around my birthday last year because I found myself comparing the number of likes, shares, and general beauty between my photos and others. It is exhausting! My mental health is 10x better, but I still struggle with anorexia. I wish you luck on your journey
It happen when painting portraits where still thing before phots exist, just repeating history, but with painting at least you can blame it on the artist liberates when you finance got tricked by your painted portrait
I've actually already started (very simplified) talking about pictures being manipulated with my 5y/o, I know it's really early but since advertisements are all around I want him to understand that not all photos are real. In kindergarten they made some photos with green screen just so the children can see that pictures can be changed in many ways 🙂
It may seem early but it actually isn't if you are talking about it in a child friendly way! I think it's freaking awesome that you as a parent are doing this considering the *immense* amount that marketing, body image and social shapes our young people today. I mean they have access to social media so young so its inevitable there will be influence present. It's invaluable early on to learn that not everything you see is real and to develop critical thinking skills. I feel like that will make it so much easier for children to stop comparing or idealizing as much. (I hope). These things start impacting young, vulnerable, developing brains and personalities early on and I hope more parents do what you are doing and even the education system follows suit with this too!
fillers/botox/surgery reminds me of the saying that's like "you're not ugly you're just poor." But in the same sense it's no different from fashion, hair, fitness, etc. If you have less money and less free time, you wont look the way influencers and celebrities do who have a hair and makeup team, nutritionist, personal trainer, and fillers. nothing inherently wrong with any of these things but I love the way you promote being honest about what you've had done and that no one just naturally looks like that all the time!
I 100% agree, I think the issue is that people have a warped idea of how they should look bc 80% of the people they see that they're told are beautiful, perfect, aging well etc do have these teams and people truly don't realize how much money, time, energy and effort is put into looking the way they do. I don't think people even know all the procedures and treatments to begin to do the math but I know without the markup of having the people who are the best in their field/region do it like celebrities have - it would be thousands a month.
The thing about botox and fillers is that I didn't realise how many of my peers got them done and I just thought they had perfect, wrinkle-free skin. And so when I started getting fine lines and the forehead crease, I thought I was weird and aging too fast. To me, it's very similar to filtered photos except at least with photos, I know they're probably altered... I guess I dont mind others getting it done but it does change the standards of what 'acceptable' is 🤷♀️
I don’t like the idea of fillers being in your face for years & years… which happens more than people think. They also migrate and that freaks me out even more!
Exactly how I feel about it. I don't like the idea of putting foreign objects in my body (with the exception of my piercings). I hate needles to begin with (I know, ironic) but like...I refuse to get an IUD or Nexplanon because it terrifies me that a foreign object is being inserted into my body. What if something goes wrong? I can't fix it, I need to go to a doctor and hope that nothing serious happens in the meantime. I've also heard that breast implants can explode at certain altitudes, like if you're on a plane?....idk. It all freaks me out. Not for me but if you can, more power to ya.
Being the mom of two young girls, I’m scared for the pressures they will face as they grow. Even for myself, once I try a filter seeing myself without it kind of hurts my feelings lol
Dont worry ❤️ I did that too, so I worried for both of us. My daughter is now 19 and very sensible. We’ve always spoken of instagrammers as cartoon characters. Cinderella doesn’t exist. Neither does the woman Khloe Kardashian shows of at her insta 😊
I know it's easier said than done, but the best thing you can do for your daughter's is model the behavior. If you do everything you can to show that you are happy with yourself, tell them all the time that they are beautiful and that any edits and filters being used should always be used in a responsible way, as an art form not as a mask for insecurities. It's okay to feel insecure occasionally but teaching them to recognize why and how to build themselves up with confidence in all aspects of their lives. Our parents are the examples we look to for confidence and learning to be our own people, and watching a parent go on constant diets, talking about others features in a negative way, or viewing beauty standards as the best way to be is the most damaging thing kids can see.
@@jessicaconti5215 So true. My best friend's wife has seen her mother be on constant diets and buy low-fat, low-cal everything her whole life. All of her family are on the chubbier side, they have thyrroid issues. My friend has body image issues that run very deep and a very troubled relationship with food. I feel very sorry for her, and I know her mother did her best, but she still did a lot of damage to her poor daughter.
@@jessicaconti5215 so true! I called out my mom in this the other day as she was making fun about this person’s voice and the way they spoke. In her mind it was all a joke but obviously too short sighted to know that it is only a joke to herself. These passing of judgment can really break a person, we are all not perfect but we must try to be kinder~
Be scared because you really don’t know how it will affect them especially if they’re sensitive by nature, be prepared, offer and provide supports (besides yourself) and in general reach them positive ways to love themselves and how to direct when things are authentic and not.
I feel like companies like Apple should have already years ago created a selfie camera on their phones that don't distort the image so much (creating a larger nose etc) because I think this really creates a lot of body dysmorphia issues. I realised that I didn't dislike the way I looked in real life, only on camera
Sooo true! I always look at myself in the mirror and think I look pretty cute but then I pull out my phone to take a selfie and I look like a sh*t. I had a period where I didn’t even want to open the camera app on my phone…
It's not that companies created distorted selfie camera. It's just physics because the lenses are not flat but curve, so the closer an object is to the lenses, the bigger it appears.
As mentioned above or below, it's distortion because of the focal length of the phone camera lens. now if they put a zoom lens on the selfie camera, you could do the trick of zooming in to cut down on the distortion like you can on the back camera. That distortion is why people use certain focal lengths for portraiture. (85mm being one of the most popular)
I like my face, I’m sixty and wrinkled and won’t bother having any “work” done. The use I can think of for me is my hair is falling out (thanks immune deficiencies) and I can virtually try on different hair styles. Happy Holidays 🎄🖤🎄
I love what you said! I’m the complete opposite. I’m in my 50’s and it might be the difference in the decades in which we grew up. I’m an 80’s lady and if I had the money, I’d be redone from head to toe. And I’d shout it from the mountain tops I’m not ashamed. I’d be doing it for me and me alone!!
@@kam0406 It's also so powerful. Yes the beauty industry and filters can be fun but I think their hold over us has grown far too strong. There's something very powerful about being content with how you look and refusing the push to conform in potentially harmful ways.
If you live in the states - we have a weird phobia of aging. We shame people (specifically women) when we start to show signs of aging, which creates a toxic society more concerned about what they look like rather than what they know or how they treat people.
I'm actually an Instagram filter creator, what I mostly do is: I don't create any filters that will change your face's shape (no lip filler, no nose or cheek slimming, none of that), I have even lost clients over this because especially influencers, always want one of those, but I feel better not doing it. A good thing is Instagram is always making sure it shows up there's a filter being used (even if you download your picture and post it later on stories, it shows up), which is good because it doesn't promote that that's what they look like.
I’m so glad I became an adult before Instagram boom. I’ve had thoughts about charging up my body and getting work done- but never for selfies! I’ve always wanted a flatter tummy but not for the socials- more for myself. It’s scary that apps are dictating Beauty ideals than human beings now.
Maybe working out would help but also women have some fat in their lower belly to protect the uterus. I'm skinny and also have it so i use some shape wear or stuff like that. Getting surgery is very risky or coldsculping can also give you issues. Also even if you get surgery you have to maintain it or you'll go back to your previous shape. If you want to do it go ahead but it would be important if you start by creating healthy habits so you're healthier when going through the procedure and reduce the risks.
I’ve had filler done in my nose. It was a good decision. The tip used to have a dip and made my nose look… split? Now it’s the same nose, just without the dip. Nothing drastic, but now I simply like the way I look a little more. I’m glad I did it at 24 after thinking about it for a few years. I wasn’t rushed by trends or filters ☺️
Agreed. I think situations like yours (mine is similar, due to an injury) are one of the main reasons to get filler. It doesn't change how u look, just a little tweak so you feel better. I am looking into a little filler to correct my old injury kn my nose.
aw i love clefts in noses. have one myself and love it. looks like lana del rey. personally i think if people can afford to shapeshift, they should be donating their money to better causes. any time i'm feeling too vain, i volunteer somewhere. but maybe i'm starting to be in the minority which is sad.
@@skrittle555 wellll mine didn't look like Lana Del Rey's 😅 Everyone's journey is different; my nose was making me feel insecure, so I changed it - simple as that. I donate and volunteer regardless of the shape of my nose ;)
Well, I'm 75, so frankly, my dear, I am waging a losing battle. I honestly don't care what others do unless - as you say - they are selling products that allegedly do what their procedures have done. A lot is said about the influence of filters, etc., on the young but they can have a surprisingly negative effect on the "more mature" 🙄, particularly older women. Quite a few are not all that aware of what filters can do, so when they see doctored pictures of "ladies of a certain age" it can be quite devastating when they are comparing their own skin with the filtered pics.
I think fillers/botox are still symptoms of our society's intense beauty standards to stay looking young and adhere to certain ideal beauty look, so I can't really say I'm pro. I myself feel a lot of pressure to stay 'beautiful' and it feels like I'm considering fillers only to adhere to this standard that I see all around me online. So I definitely don't think anyone doing fillers are doing something wrong, but I still think they maintain our struggle with aging and facial features that stray from the beauty 'norm', and there's a lot of societal pressure on people to get them
I agree. If you want to, go for it. No right or wrong way. That said, I know it can be very addicting too. There are 2 RUclipsrs that come to mind. One has had so much filler in her cheeks they are huge now and same with another's lips. I've heard once you start you keep wanting more and more. Not all ppl of course. It actually reminds me of when Michael Jackson kept getting nose jobs over and over til he had nothing left
I personally would shy away from something that has the potential to be a lifelong obligation to update. Fillers can sometimes cause stretching of the skin, and if you don't keep getting it filled it can cause sagging and sunken looking skin. I absolutely think it's fine for others to do. I couldn't care less.
So important topic! I remember a couple of years ago a teen girl went missing in Germany, and both the parents and the police had a hard time making the "Missing child" press releases, because every single recent photo of her was retouched by some app or the other. Sadly I can't remember how the case ended... I'm an older woman... (42...) so I don't mind posting "raw" selfies - but I am mindful of lighting and pose, so I'm not immune.
U are absolutely right. The girl went missing about three years ago and hasn't been found yet, unfortunately. Although the case was all over the news and people paid lots of attention to it, it was difficult to figure out just what she actually looked like. The images that were released could have been four different people - any distinctive feature had been filtered into oblivion. Not saying that that's the reason she hasn't been found, but yeah, that was a thing. Stay safe and happy holidays from Germany 🌲
I remember this! She lived close to where I'm from and even the pictures on her "missing person" posters are edited and have snapchat filters on them. It was impossible to come by an unedited picture of her. She still wasn't found. It's rumored she was either murdered or she was sold into human trafficking. It's so sad her family might never get closure about what actually happened to her.
This is a very real thing, I recently saw a post about a missing girl from my community and she had filters on in them. She ended up getting found but it was shocking seeing that she had obvious filters on the pictures. Pretty alarming in my opinion
I'm so glad I never got into the filters on social media. I'm 34 and just got my first IG this year for my business. I will do my very best to make sure my daughter(now 4) doesn't grow up with dysmorphia, which is an uphill battle. I went thru it really bad in the early 00s with the whole "heroin chic" and airbrushing before we knew it was airbrushing.
Hated my lips because they were uneven and after 4 or 5 years of overdrawing one side, I got fillers. Yes it makes me for confident and I love my reflection now, but dear lord people are always so quick to judge when they learn I got fillers
I was in junior year of university in 2001. There was a teacher who came in on a psychology class and said “whoever is not happy with themselves should go to the right side of the amphitheater”. We were about 60 people in the room and around 40 got up and went to the right side. When the remaining 20 saw that, some odd 10 moved too. Only 7 of us remained on the left side. Of course it wasn’t only about the physical appearance but 90% of a class not being content is a very large number, in my opinion. On your note, I hate selfies, social media and editing photos, but then again I always was happy with myself. Nice video.
What frightens me the most about this is the children and teens growing up with this just totally ubiquitous. I remember seeing magazine covers that were poreless and without any natural folds under the eye and thinking they were real - and feeling inadequate. But magazines weren't... in my face every waking moment.
honestly even the silly snapchat filters have messed me up because you think it's cute and innocent but then you realise its been slimming your face and smoothing your skin and now i don't like how i look without a filter
Filler? Pro. Unless an influencer is promoting a product that supposedly improves lips, wrinkles, skin texture etc, and they have had fillers in these same areas: No! Thanks for talking about the filter issue. Prior to finding your channel, I had no idea filters were so extensive. It is really quite sad that due to the bugger-fakery in social media, people are becoming increasingly dismorphic.
Im a chubby girl and when I was 12, I started posting edited photos of my face and body as a thin person. My mom saw them and she whooped me and lectured me. I was crying so hard but she cried as well. I saw how much it hurt her that I hated myself. She didn't just tell me to love myself, she taught me how to while growing up. She's an amazing mom and I love her very much.
I’d LOVE to chat about my *journey* regarding self acceptance. I’m 40 and I’ve just now discovered self acceptance. I’m VERY anti-filter and never ever use it. EVER. These type of videos that you post are SO important. Thank you for doing these.
I agree. 35 here. I'm never going to do fillers or botox. I'm all for natural ^^ Just aging gracefully with only skincare. But if it makes someone happy, they should do it.
I'm in my early 30s and I'm so glad I was a teen/in my twenties before filters. I know I was attractive because I had a lot of attention from others but I was also self conscious and never felt good enough, despite this. That would only be exacerbated if filters were common place. I could see that really messing me and others up.
You and Robert have got to stop torturing me. I can't handle you both dropping your videos at the same time!! How am I supposed to pick who to watch first!?!?!
A big part of my journey to self-love was learning to take off the Snapchat filters when I took a selfie or video. Now I rarely, if ever, use a filter and if I do it's to have fun- not because I hate how I look
1) I highly disapprove of filters when it's an ad. 2) I don't care AT ALL if people get surgery/fillers/botox, whatever. Not everyone is born perfect. 3) What I DO care about is self esteem-especially for youngsters, AND 4) people realizing many of these pics or videos are fake/surgery/filters etc. It is unattainable nowadays and no matter what you do you can't win, I'm so glad I didn't grow up with this crap. I always explain internet vs reality for my daughter who is a pre teen. It's definitely not too early especially nowadays to help them with self esteem
Love this! I’ve had a nose job because I have always hated my nose! BUT I researched the absolute shit out of the procedure and my surgeon AND I saved every penny myself (no debt) and I didn’t do it until I was 30 and absolutely sure I was doing it for the right reasons.
As a person who struggled with eating disorders and also studies art therapy, I want to say there is a process to "loving yourself". Or at least being body neutral. There really is. But let's be honest, it's a long, bumpy and energy consuming process. There's a point where I believe it's ok for people to get work done on themselves as long is it's safe and their whole existence doesn't depend on it. Because if it does then I'd say invest into therapy instead.
I'm 10 years into recovery from an eating disorder, and am totally on board with what you're saying. It's not easy to be at peace with yourself, and it's something I still have problems with at times, but damn, I know the work I've done since I was 18 has paid off.
James, social media needs more content creators like you. I am sooo glad you are doing these videos. I feel sorry for the teens and younger people that are growing up being bombarded with unrealistic body and face images. It is easy to imagine what a slippery slope this is. Merry Christmas, James, and to everybody in the comment section!
I’ve been off social media for about 2 months and I feel like I’m slowly really liking the way I look despite not really changing anything. Imagine how much confidence I’ll have in a year lol
I like your before nose. One topic to bring up with this whole subject is the homogenization of appearance. People all start to look the same and individuality and ethnicity is getting lost. I was also thinking of how the world may have been before everybody even had mirrors, and now cameras. I'm pretty old, and since I can't see my own face, I don't stress about it too much. The incessant looking we all do now at ourselves and others, and using it to assess character, overshadows other ways of judging people that are often more valid. Our faces used to tell the story of our life, and now it tells a fairy tale. Love you, James. Keep on doing this. The kids need to know.
Exactly. Old here, too. 54 tobe exact. The amount of time it took for to be able to tell Cardi B. and Nicki Minaj apart! I'm still not really confident in this, very strange. And here in Germany, we have a Rapper-Singer-beauty OP queen, who looks like a barbydoll and sings about this as if it was a rebellious lifestyle for strong, independent women. Very puzzling. I've always had my doubts about the validity of Mae West's status as Liberty personified, and I recognise the same idea behind this... Also, these pictures of James, pretty early on in the video, I did not recognise him in either of them! The tendency can go one of two ways: 1 - we start to distrust all pictures and remember the joy of meeting in person... 2 - we start to be disgusted by real faces and only communicate through facetime with tons of filters. If AI has its way, it ought to go in the second direction. Have not gotten to the before nose yet, but have long had my suspicions about it being the more interesting version...
I appreciate you being as open as you are about the procedures you've had, like fillers or botox! It's really refreshing. And whoever does yours gives you really natural looking results- you 100% could lie about it and nobody would know tbh, but I really appreciate your honesty!
Thank you for addressing these things. We are seeing skyrocketing rates of depression and anxiety and the deceptive nature of social media isn't helping.
It’s not only affecting the younger generation but also the older too. My mom is turning 55 next month and she asked me how she can look like JLo in an AD. She constantly rags on herself and keep pointing out how something looks on her body and face but she looks fine and is also healthy. It’s really heartbreaking and I don’t know what to say to her to try and help her😔
Thanks for featuring my photo, James! I agree with everything you’ve said and love to share my own journey. No shame in being open about treatments. Happy New Year.
That girl who said how bad filters are for your brain is bang on. I tried an app a while ago just for fun of a picture of me I really liked too and after I had edited it I didn't feel as good about the original anymore and could only see the things that could be enhanced or made better. After that I vowed to not use them again as I have days of feeling insecure as it is
Filler in the face can lead to blindness. Threads may be not be reversible. I know that I would be quite appreciative if "influencers" who are open about their work, which I appreciate in and of itself, also discussed the possible cons. Researching the cons, side effects, and possible implications on future aging has been enough for me to love myself and imperfections because for me, being healthy is more important than looking good in pictures.
I get jaw relaxation injections like Lab Muffin (yes it is botox indeed!) and honestly it's changed my life. I don't wake up in the morning with toothache and tension all over my face anymore. A slimmer face and a more pronounced jaw line are some nice side effects for me :)
This is the first time I've heard of this treatment and I honestly wish I'd heard of it sooner! I get killer headaches/facial tension from reflexively clenching my jaw, so I'm definitely going to look into this.
@@tasnimatonnee963 It depends but sadly it isn't the cheapest procedure, as it requires quite a bit of product and you might need a couple of sessions to achieve the best results depending on the strength of your jaw muscles (+ regular top ups). But as James mentioned, please don't ever be tempted by a cheap injector! Also if you struggle with teeth grinding I'd recommend seeing a dentist first as this might not be the best solution to the problem
@@stefano9880 thanks a lot brother for ur kind reply. I wanna do some surgery specially my eye area. Just wanna know get some idea and i got the your point. ♥️♥️♥️
I feel like the older I get the more I am becoming comfortable in my own skin. Knowing what works for me and what I think looks good and what doesn't. No work done but I'm not opposed to it. Do what makes you feel good about you!
It's actually been studied. The older you get the more people are generally more comfortable in their body, even though that means not as in shape as they were in their younger years. Interesting! Also true for me.
My (personal because it's absolutely none of my business if others get them) issue with fillers is risk versus reward. The reward is relatively low. I won't be able to make lines in my forehead or my jaw will be more rounded our. But the risk is relatively high. Even at good doctors, your body can reject filler and cause infection. In botox, there isn't a complete understanding of long term risk.
I try to stay away from filters as much as possible and I also don't really use social media, so it's really hard for me to notice when other people use, especially nowadays when the technology is insanely good. I really appreciate your videos and the way you point things out because it just goes to show that most everything on social media is fake and to be taken very lightly. it's also really uncomfortable seeing video after video edit these naturally beautiful pictures because the after photos look eerily similar to one another. I didn't even notice it at first, but everyone started to look the same! it's so creepy to see in real time and scary because I'm not sure I would notice if I was just scrolling through Instagram or Twitter
James, not sure if anyone mentioned it already but there’s no audio from 3:26 to 4:03 - I don’t think that’s done on purpose since the sound comes back halfway through your sentence! Love the video, hi from Poland ❤️
Would be a bit cautious about consistent filler, studies show filler stays in your face and can “move” from its initial placement, making the area overall thicker and less effective as the filler stacks on itself
Yeah recent studies with MRI scans show that fillers can last way longer (several years) than just 6-12 months that people have been told for years. And they will often migrate to another place in the face and the person who got them just think it "dissolved" on it's own.
to be fair i took a class in HS that taught me how to do taxes and i’ve completely forgotten :) at least i have turbotax lol. watching these videos make me happy i never really got into actively participating on social media besides some random comments on youtube. love your content!
I think it's important to disclose if a filter was used; if an app was used to modify the final image; if fillers/botox/surgery was done so people are aware that's it's not just good lighting or poses. It's not enough to simply say "nothing on social media is real and everyone knows that" because many people are scrolling through social media for hours a day. Hypothetical scenario, someone spending 7+ hours a day scrolling through countless images that aren't real will end up registering these images as "normal" and attainable in real life.
@@JamesWelsh ehhhh depends. I try to do nothing bc my job sucks my soul dry. 🤣 I need all the relaxation I can get. Plus I have a child that runs me ragged once I'm off work for the day.
James Welsh has taught me so so much. Really both of the Welsh Twins have supremely educated me. Thank you guys, my skin is better than ever and makeup techniques have evolved so much.
Now I have a serious urge to teach James about neural networks so he can see how simple is the "evil" behind the faceapp. Honeslty using machine learning for this seemed like a "fun" usecase back at the day when people found out you can detect edges in pictures...now it's just insane. It's literally just feature detection and slight modifications using a bit of math basically. It always fascinated me that there's no evil genius sitting in his high purple chair watching people's confidence go to shit...it's just science that's being used in a pretty shit way (in my opinion anyway...)
I'm contemplating a very minor cosmetic surgery and really struggling between accepting and loving myself as i am, versus taking advantage of technology to add quality of life to the second half of my lifespan. Thank you for being supportive and taking stigma out of what others might have called vanity
The joy of getting into my 60s is the fact that from about 50 onward I finally realised that folk are too busy living their lives dealing with their own issues to worry about what I look like. As my mum used to say there are plenty of people in the graveyard who would love to have your worries.
This is why I love your channel; you're ethical about these topics while promoting self happiness and wellness. I don't know exactly how I feel about fillers, Botox, etc. But, if everyone approached it the way you do, the world would just be a more honest place to live in. And that's what it's about, really - honesty.
Man thanks for your videos, I'm bingeing a bunch of them now, and they are very fascinating and insightful. I had no idea just how far things had gone with all this editing and apps etc. Crazy times we're living in lol.
I love that you have a healthy attitude towards yourself. I love your honesty too. You are a beautiful man, as is Robert. and Marcus as well. Your parents did a wonderful job teaching you all to "you do you". I love your content. Keep it up!
Your non-edited vs edited photo really beings it home that minor changes have a major impact. There have been videos of possible procedures celebrities have done. It is always the small things one never thinks about like straighten teeth because that changes how teeth protrude and even the shape of the lower face.
It always starts out as subtle tweaks until people take it too far. If you don't do the work to figure out the mental/emotional reasons why you hate so many little things about yourself you will always find things about yourself that need "fixed." There's actually nothing wrong with how any of us look, but mentally we are all very effed up.
It’s pretty crazy how far you can take photo-editing these days. I forget how truly easy it is to completely change the way you look online with a few clicks of a button. I like how you pointed out the various safety concerns that come with these filters because almost everybody can be affected by these concerns!
I'm glad James posted a message about this on RUclips because I swear I never saw this be posted!! Anyone else? I mean apparently thousands of people did but hmm
I've been saying schools should teach: how to balance a check book, invest in the stock market, do taxes, apply for a mortgage, cook a meal and change a flat tire. Now working with younger people, they should teach how to address an envelope and where to put the stamp!! Ugh, I truly worry for the younger generations!! 😕😕😕😕
I just agree with everything you said 😅 As long as you’re not actively selling something and claiming that a product did something that a filler actually did, fill away! Or at least disclaim it! Honestly by this point I feel disclaiming filters/editing might be just as important as disclaiming an ad 🤷🏼♀️
It's amazing the difference of just a camera can make. I had every single selfie I take with my phone, but I'm actually pretty pleased with how I look on Zoom (with reasonably decent lighting).
Absolutely phenomenal video topic! The use of digital enhancements in EVERY aspect of our lives is the reality we are living in now. Ranging from beauty standards to the food we consume (like I saw a grocery ad on TV and I know that apple didn't fall from that tree looking 10/10 🤔). It is videos like this that create an open and honest dialogue about the things we see, hear, and compare ourselves to in traditional and online media. From you, not only have I learned that it is all about progression over perfection, but equally it is about education over expectations (or rather the unrealistic expectations we put on ourselves based on what we see). It is truly refreshing to see an influencer/content creator use their platform to educate and speak on these sensitive, sometimes secretive topics. The more we know, the better equipped we'll (and hopefully the younger generations) be to recognize the real manipulation out there (when it comes to brands/celebrities using digital enhancements to sell products) but also to realign ourselves to a more mentally safe space by realizing that not everything you see online is 100% real. Love your work James! Lots of love and support to you always! ❤
I would say this is the problem with those 'naturally looking' fillers and botox. We get so used to these altered 'naturally looking' faces that we think that is how human face should look, while sadly it is not exactly real.
as a 14 yr old (about be 15) there are barely any pics of me without a filter, your vids have been helping me a lot, i am able to be okay with a regular selfie from my phone camera i still use the snow app sometimes but not as much ^^
I’m 30, and I’m getting filler for the first time next month. I’ve lost a bit of volume in my cheeks due to losing weight/not looking after my skin properly when I was younger. Now I have a quite prominent smile line on the one side of my face, which bugs me every time I look in the mirror! It’s going to make me feel better about myself so why the heck not!
@@deecee901 shell have, by then, spent enough money to buy a house, on herself and shell still look 30!! I dunno I'd deffo do it, if I could afford it but I'm 41. It's sad that most lasses in their early and mid 20s are doing it. They all look the same. That's just how the world is aesthetically speaking at the moment. And insta has a lot to answer for
In my opinion when so many people get these little tweaks done it raises the beauty standard for everyone and puts more pressure on people to look good and maybe lowers the self esteem for people who don't want/can't get these tweaks done. But then again everyone has the right to do whatever they want to their faces and it's not really anyone elses business
I do think that fillers and very small irl tweaks have more of a social impact than we think of and it creates a "natural beauty" standard that's not as attainable as people like to make it.
I think with fillers - obvi people should do what they want to with their body - but it’s also a kind of grey area in the ‘people don’t actually look like that, but then they also literally do’, and it’s so subtle that you wont think twice before you see the before and afters, which also makes you think that ‘everyone’ else has a perfect this or that.
I had my eyelids done because they were drooping and I had to really lift my brows in order to open my eyes more, I looked sleepy all the time and people think I'm falling asleep all the time. Sometimes there are just things you can't change without external help. I feel like if the procedure doesn't negatively affect your normal function it's fine and all, some small boosts on your appearance can do a lot of good in life. I totally agree "Just love yourself" is bull, they never tell you how, and the most difficult part of this is learning to love yourself.
OMG, James, I just downloaded that app (free trial) to try it out. In less than 3 minutes I changed my face into an entirely different person. I thought it would be me with a bunch of makeup, but my lord if someone else did it and sent me that photo I would have no clue it was originally me. This is truly terrifying!
Interesting topic. Fillers vs non fillers. It’s personal. At this point in my life I say no fillers (for me) but I don’t think we have the right to judge those that do. I agree with you that if they are selling me a product then I do believe in transparency. A person having fillers won’t be “less” in my eyes. If having fillers is part of that persons’s journey for self care/self love, than carry on. Just be careful who you go to, this is one area that you don’t necessarily want to save money on.
To me, what people do with their own faces is their business, but it does worry me a bit that there has become an ideal type of face or look, in a similar way there was re body size, pre body positivity movement (and obviously the whole body image thing hasn't gone away). If I can afford it in a couple of years I might have a bit of botox, until then I'm sticking with looking after my skin. The filler on the bridge of the nose is really interesting. I was interested in under eye filler, as my under eyes are a bit sunken, but I read the other day that it's very risky and a lot of good practitioners are now advising against it, so I've changed my mind!
I really appreciate your honesty about the facial work you had done. Also, you had mentioned in another video how exfoliation gets rid of texture and I grabbed onto that one!! I exfoliate now twice a week and many of my wrinkles have disappeared. Thank you , James!!
i was so influenced by filters and retouching as a young teen when i was first getting into makeup (around 12-13). instead of starting with lip balm and maybe a little concealer, i started with full glam. it definitely affected how i viewed myself. i’m now 19 and although i love makeup (and i tend to wear pretty gothic looks), i don’t wear makeup 90% of the time and i’m still confident and i love how i look both with and without it
LOL Mrs. Doubtfire! The thing that people have to remember is there is always someone who knows you and KNOWS you don't really look like the filter. I also always thought some of those "eye looks" looked awfully fake, but now the technology is so good, how would someone know whether or not a makeup artist's or hair stylist's portfolio is real, or if before and after skin care product is real? I really appreciate you showing us how to look out for this stuff to help our self image and to be more informed consumers.
I love listening to your commentary on issues like this. You are really well balanced and honest in your videos. Bravo 👏 I don’t give a shit what fillers or Botox anyone else has, it’s just not for me. I appreciate your honesty about what you get done. I’ve never felt mislead by your content because like you say, you don’t advertise anti aging products!
See, my problem with filters is the ambiguous way in which it upholds specific ideals of beauty and upholds ideas of white supremacy and racist notions of beauty. So many of the filters give you more “European” features and racially-ambiguous lips, eyes, etc. it’s super uncomfortable and as a Black trans woman……. It deeply warps my communities notions of how we should appear.
I agree, and I'll add that they promote other problematic beauty standards too I notice that every filter makes me look very young, making my eyes bigger and nose smaller and impossibly smooth skin. So many apps, particularly white-centric ones and Asian ones have an emphasis on little 'cute' faces I'm not saying that the apps should give wrinkles, but there's something very weird about making my 27 year old face look like an 18 year old's I consider myself more beautiful/sexy now that I'm older, but these sort of apps reinforce the idea that we should all strive to look like teenagers 🤮
True. My issue with a lot of plastic surgery today in real life iss White society cherry picks ethnic features found in Black/Hispanic/Native culture (lips, Butt, cheeks). You have White women trying to imitate ethnic feature that are celebrated within Black/Hispanic communities and suddenly it's in style because White women are sporting it. Sorry, the plumped up lips look fake and ridiculous. trout pout.
The difference between them is that at the end of the day with fillers you look the same in your photos and irl, filters are only for your photos and when people see you or you look at yourself in the mirror you see another person. If you wanna ok different get fillers but please make sure it isn’t because of influences and beauty standard but just because you personally want them for your own person and not for Instagram or smt. It’s very important.
I’m really glad you mentioned about finding someone with knowledge and skills to do it safely. There’s so much risk with fillers (and same with tattoos, permanent makeup etc)that can be reduced by choosing carefully. People have really strong opinions on all these things but it has to come down to personal choice.
Thank you so much for this!! One year ago I had facial reconstruction surgery and my face has changed a lot! And now there’s things I’d like to get done, not because I don’t like myself, but because I want some more balance to my appearance as certain areas continue to change. Or to help the areas that wrinkled once my swelling diminished. I’d rather love what I look like by changes I’ve had say in than live with the dysmorphia I have from getting a medically necessary facial changes
I think this just proves my point that social media has been nothing but bad for society in so many ways..... Whatever happened to just taking a picture of yourself, if you must, posting it and being happy with it. I was, a couple of years ago, going to post my eye looks on my Instagram, but because I couldn't get a good enough picture, based on lighting/camera/etc, I chose not to, mainly because I didn't want to hear the hate because of my age.... But seeing what everyone is doing and going through because of social media, makes me glad I didn't bother trying.... My age group isn't represented but because I've seen the effect all this crud has had on people and glad I walked away when I did.......
I'm 24, I've been cropping my forehead out of most photos since I was about 13. I'm a very expressionate person, so have a lot of expression lines on my forehead which stay when I'm relaxed and my makeup sits in the lines. I've been seriously considering botox for a long time, it is so so nice to see people being open about the work they have had done! Thank you James x
if someone doesn’t like something about them and want to change it i don’t think it’s wrong but at this stage people with social media it’s almost hard not to hate yourself and where do you draw the line of not liking something and embracing and changing it vs when you feel insecure about yourself cause someone who you think is beautiful doesn’t have that feature and you can’t embrace it and want to change it
I'm pretty amazed how much difference lighting, makeup, angle & pose can make when taking "selfies." It can be quite drastic. That Face App would be kinda fun to play with especially if you are considering changing your hair color or hair style, you could see how it would look before committing. Same goes for any procedure or actual cosmetic surgery. You would have yourself as a baseline & not some celebrity whose individual feature might not look right copy pasted onto your face. I could see an app like this being useful for plastic surgeons to show their patients exactly what they'll look like after their rhinoplasty & brow lift. As long as photo enhancement isn't used for false advertising the results and/or efficacy of a product/lifestyle I really have no problem with people using it as another form of artistic self expression. It's not that different from having a flattering portrait taken or using a cute caricature as an avatar. I do think that when it comes to cosmetic procedures/surgical enhancements & beauty standards, there is a conversation to be had about privilege, power, wealth, status, & a lot of other "isms" but basically I am pro choice & believe everyone has the right to make decisions about their own bodies. What they put in it, what they put on it, who has access to it. Whatever medical decisions they make are between them & their doctor including plastic surgery. I can't help but wonder though, if everyone becomes enhanced--how much more unattainable will the beauty standard get? It seems like such an arbitrary thing & changes often.
My main issue is the need for better regulations to make sure people aren't getting hurt, until I learned different I assumed that in order to do these types of procedures you had to have extensive training but as you mentioned that isn't always the case. Ask around, read reviews. It's a good idea to look up what the expected cost should be in your country/region and if the price is to good to be true it probably is. Don't be afraid to ask a load of questions like "what are your qualifications?", "How long have you been doing this?", "Can you please walk me through the process and educate me as to the potential risks?" if they don't seem knowledgeable and are reluctant/impatient to answer feel free to go elsewhere. If you feel that your health and safety isn't a priority you have every right to leave this is something I struggle with myself but it's an important life skill. One thing I've learned over the years that seems so obvious now is that if someone is trying to manipulate you into feeling guilty for having questions or concerns and are dismissive and pressuring you to hurry up they do not care about you or your safety and they don't deserve your money. Anyone who is good at and passionate about what they do will want you to feel comfortable and safe and will be happy to answer your questions so long as you are of course kind, respectful, and have reasonable expectations of the time they can spend with you.
I am a HUGE fan of fillers! I lost almost 100lbs over the last year. As a result, my face looks saggy. The fillers makes me look better. I do them for myself!
Pro Filler or No Filler? 🧐
Whatever the individual wants I'm all for 🖤
Pro filler!
@@tiny_biscuit i agree!
Whatever makes you (the person) happy!!!
Whatever makes you feel good and done by somebody reputable! I like that it's temporary
The thing about filters is they surpass physical reality. We’re no longer just feeling bad because we don’t look like super models, we’re starting to feel bad for looking human.
I don't think contouring really do much in real life.
Fr
Texture, having pores, fine lines, dark circles, non symmetrical face. I have a little sister who is chronically on tiktok and she bullies me by going up to my face and say “ew your makeup is cakey, you have bumps on your face” it’s insane to me what she thinks isn’t normal…
I'm 41 and very much remember a time before digital photography and the Internet but I still have to constantly remind myself that people have texture and pores, acne, hyperpigmentation, wrinkles... It is ridiculous how it's affected my perception of myself. 😢 I had a first gen digital camera when I was a teen and I would Photoshop them so much that they didn't look real. And I had great skin! So for people prone to dysmorphia, filters are awful for our messed up psyches 😢
@@grapejuice5872that's so sad. She's going to struggle so much with aging. This is creating a real psychological problem. I thought beauty standards sucked in the 90s but could never have imagined how much worse it would get. I worry for young women most of all. It scares me that they don't know what real humans look like...
This is exactly why I don't post photos with filters and I'll never edit photos. My brain wouldn't be able to handle it, I already have body dysmorphia, I cant even imagine how it would be if I edited my photos.
It can become seriously addicting
It's so dangerous! :(
@@JamesWelsh I can imagine. I'm not judging anyone who uses filters, I don't know if there's anyone I follow on IG who posts Stories without a filter, but I know myself well enough to know it wouldn't be good for me. 💝
Same! the most I do is the isntagram filter that changes the lighting to make the sky look more blue (im alway hiking or at the beach). I ended up deleting socials around my birthday last year because I found myself comparing the number of likes, shares, and general beauty between my photos and others. It is exhausting! My mental health is 10x better, but I still struggle with anorexia. I wish you luck on your journey
Same girl same. Every time I think about *just trying it* I know I’ll like what I see and I just don’t.
Just say no to filters!
we ended up perpetuating the trends of the fashion photography industry that we once criticized so much for presenting unrealistic images
Yessss 😭
It happen when painting portraits where still thing before phots exist, just repeating history, but with painting at least you can blame it on the artist liberates when you finance got tricked by your painted portrait
@@JamesWelsh where is the video about a clinic and fillers info you promised to give link for in this video😔😔😔
Speak for yourself lol they’ve always been disturbing to a lot of people, others just became comfortable with them
It was never about the unrealistic standards. People just wanted access to the same lies as the models.
I've actually already started (very simplified) talking about pictures being manipulated with my 5y/o, I know it's really early but since advertisements are all around I want him to understand that not all photos are real. In kindergarten they made some photos with green screen just so the children can see that pictures can be changed in many ways 🙂
That’s awesome! Especially for a young boy, we need the next generation of men to know that women can’t be held up to unrealistic expectations ❤️
With your son knowing that pics can be altered, especially of women (seriously, you cannot win) -you're raising a gentleman, great job!
I did a whole presentation about it for my graduate program
It may seem early but it actually isn't if you are talking about it in a child friendly way! I think it's freaking awesome that you as a parent are doing this considering the *immense* amount that marketing, body image and social shapes our young people today. I mean they have access to social media so young so its inevitable there will be influence present. It's invaluable early on to learn that not everything you see is real and to develop critical thinking skills. I feel like that will make it so much easier for children to stop comparing or idealizing as much. (I hope). These things start impacting young, vulnerable, developing brains and personalities early on and I hope more parents do what you are doing and even the education system follows suit with this too!
I don't think it's to really! I talk to mine as well
I like the girl who said that editing her picture was “bad for her brain.” That rings true for me.
fillers/botox/surgery reminds me of the saying that's like "you're not ugly you're just poor." But in the same sense it's no different from fashion, hair, fitness, etc. If you have less money and less free time, you wont look the way influencers and celebrities do who have a hair and makeup team, nutritionist, personal trainer, and fillers. nothing inherently wrong with any of these things but I love the way you promote being honest about what you've had done and that no one just naturally looks like that all the time!
I 100% agree, I think the issue is that people have a warped idea of how they should look bc 80% of the people they see that they're told are beautiful, perfect, aging well etc do have these teams and people truly don't realize how much money, time, energy and effort is put into looking the way they do. I don't think people even know all the procedures and treatments to begin to do the math but I know without the markup of having the people who are the best in their field/region do it like celebrities have - it would be thousands a month.
I don't think contouring really work Inr because some artists said "it's don't work in real life"
The thing about botox and fillers is that I didn't realise how many of my peers got them done and I just thought they had perfect, wrinkle-free skin. And so when I started getting fine lines and the forehead crease, I thought I was weird and aging too fast. To me, it's very similar to filtered photos except at least with photos, I know they're probably altered... I guess I dont mind others getting it done but it does change the standards of what 'acceptable' is 🤷♀️
I don’t like the idea of fillers being in your face for years & years… which happens more than people think. They also migrate and that freaks me out even more!
Exactly how I feel about it. I don't like the idea of putting foreign objects in my body (with the exception of my piercings). I hate needles to begin with (I know, ironic) but like...I refuse to get an IUD or Nexplanon because it terrifies me that a foreign object is being inserted into my body. What if something goes wrong? I can't fix it, I need to go to a doctor and hope that nothing serious happens in the meantime. I've also heard that breast implants can explode at certain altitudes, like if you're on a plane?....idk. It all freaks me out. Not for me but if you can, more power to ya.
Being the mom of two young girls, I’m scared for the pressures they will face as they grow. Even for myself, once I try a filter seeing myself without it kind of hurts my feelings lol
Dont worry ❤️ I did that too, so I worried for both of us.
My daughter is now 19 and very sensible.
We’ve always spoken of instagrammers as cartoon characters. Cinderella doesn’t exist. Neither does the woman Khloe Kardashian shows of at her insta 😊
I know it's easier said than done, but the best thing you can do for your daughter's is model the behavior. If you do everything you can to show that you are happy with yourself, tell them all the time that they are beautiful and that any edits and filters being used should always be used in a responsible way, as an art form not as a mask for insecurities. It's okay to feel insecure occasionally but teaching them to recognize why and how to build themselves up with confidence in all aspects of their lives. Our parents are the examples we look to for confidence and learning to be our own people, and watching a parent go on constant diets, talking about others features in a negative way, or viewing beauty standards as the best way to be is the most damaging thing kids can see.
@@jessicaconti5215 So true. My best friend's wife has seen her mother be on constant diets and buy low-fat, low-cal everything her whole life. All of her family are on the chubbier side, they have thyrroid issues. My friend has body image issues that run very deep and a very troubled relationship with food. I feel very sorry for her, and I know her mother did her best, but she still did a lot of damage to her poor daughter.
@@jessicaconti5215 so true! I called out my mom in this the other day as she was making fun about this person’s voice and the way they spoke. In her mind it was all a joke but obviously too short sighted to know that it is only a joke to herself. These passing of judgment can really break a person, we are all not perfect but we must try to be kinder~
Be scared because you really don’t know how it will affect them especially if they’re sensitive by nature, be prepared, offer and provide supports (besides yourself) and in general reach them positive ways to love themselves and how to direct when things are authentic and not.
I feel like companies like Apple should have already years ago created a selfie camera on their phones that don't distort the image so much (creating a larger nose etc) because I think this really creates a lot of body dysmorphia issues. I realised that I didn't dislike the way I looked in real life, only on camera
Sooo true! I always look at myself in the mirror and think I look pretty cute but then I pull out my phone to take a selfie and I look like a sh*t. I had a period where I didn’t even want to open the camera app on my phone…
It's not that companies created distorted selfie camera. It's just physics because the lenses are not flat but curve, so the closer an object is to the lenses, the bigger it appears.
As mentioned above or below, it's distortion because of the focal length of the phone camera lens. now if they put a zoom lens on the selfie camera, you could do the trick of zooming in to cut down on the distortion like you can on the back camera. That distortion is why people use certain focal lengths for portraiture. (85mm being one of the most popular)
as a photographer, their selfie lens are quite wide to be acceptable for a portrait lens
Yeah, like just put the back camera on the front. Why is that so hard?
I like my face, I’m sixty and wrinkled and won’t bother having any “work” done. The use I can think of for me is my hair is falling out (thanks immune deficiencies) and I can virtually try on different hair styles. Happy Holidays 🎄🖤🎄
Liking your own face is a really beautiful thing.
I love what you said! I’m the complete opposite. I’m in my 50’s and it might be the difference in the decades in which we grew up. I’m an 80’s lady and if I had the money, I’d be redone from head to toe. And I’d shout it from the mountain tops I’m not ashamed. I’d be doing it for me and me alone!!
@@kam0406 It's also so powerful. Yes the beauty industry and filters can be fun but I think their hold over us has grown far too strong. There's something very powerful about being content with how you look and refusing the push to conform in potentially harmful ways.
you look amazing 😎
If you live in the states - we have a weird phobia of aging. We shame people (specifically women) when we start to show signs of aging, which creates a toxic society more concerned about what they look like rather than what they know or how they treat people.
I'm actually an Instagram filter creator, what I mostly do is: I don't create any filters that will change your face's shape (no lip filler, no nose or cheek slimming, none of that), I have even lost clients over this because especially influencers, always want one of those, but I feel better not doing it. A good thing is Instagram is always making sure it shows up there's a filter being used (even if you download your picture and post it later on stories, it shows up), which is good because it doesn't promote that that's what they look like.
I’m so glad I became an adult before Instagram boom. I’ve had thoughts about charging up my body and getting work done- but never for selfies! I’ve always wanted a flatter tummy but not for the socials- more for myself. It’s scary that apps are dictating Beauty ideals than human beings now.
Maybe working out would help but also women have some fat in their lower belly to protect the uterus. I'm skinny and also have it so i use some shape wear or stuff like that. Getting surgery is very risky or coldsculping can also give you issues. Also even if you get surgery you have to maintain it or you'll go back to your previous shape. If you want to do it go ahead but it would be important if you start by creating healthy habits so you're healthier when going through the procedure and reduce the risks.
I’ve had filler done in my nose. It was a good decision. The tip used to have a dip and made my nose look… split? Now it’s the same nose, just without the dip. Nothing drastic, but now I simply like the way I look a little more. I’m glad I did it at 24 after thinking about it for a few years. I wasn’t rushed by trends or filters ☺️
Agreed. I think situations like yours (mine is similar, due to an injury) are one of the main reasons to get filler. It doesn't change how u look, just a little tweak so you feel better. I am looking into a little filler to correct my old injury kn my nose.
aw i love clefts in noses. have one myself and love it. looks like lana del rey. personally i think if people can afford to shapeshift, they should be donating their money to better causes. any time i'm feeling too vain, i volunteer somewhere. but maybe i'm starting to be in the minority which is sad.
@@skrittle555 wellll mine didn't look like Lana Del Rey's 😅 Everyone's journey is different; my nose was making me feel insecure, so I changed it - simple as that. I donate and volunteer regardless of the shape of my nose ;)
Well, I'm 75, so frankly, my dear, I am waging a losing battle. I honestly don't care what others do unless - as you say - they are selling products that allegedly do what their procedures have done.
A lot is said about the influence of filters, etc., on the young but they can have a surprisingly negative effect on the "more mature" 🙄, particularly older women. Quite a few are not all that aware of what filters can do, so when they see doctored pictures of "ladies of a certain age" it can be quite devastating when they are comparing their own skin with the filtered pics.
I think fillers/botox are still symptoms of our society's intense beauty standards to stay looking young and adhere to certain ideal beauty look, so I can't really say I'm pro. I myself feel a lot of pressure to stay 'beautiful' and it feels like I'm considering fillers only to adhere to this standard that I see all around me online. So I definitely don't think anyone doing fillers are doing something wrong, but I still think they maintain our struggle with aging and facial features that stray from the beauty 'norm', and there's a lot of societal pressure on people to get them
I agree. If you want to, go for it. No right or wrong way. That said, I know it can be very addicting too. There are 2 RUclipsrs that come to mind. One has had so much filler in her cheeks they are huge now and same with another's lips. I've heard once you start you keep wanting more and more. Not all ppl of course. It actually reminds me of when Michael Jackson kept getting nose jobs over and over til he had nothing left
I personally would shy away from something that has the potential to be a lifelong obligation to update. Fillers can sometimes cause stretching of the skin, and if you don't keep getting it filled it can cause sagging and sunken looking skin.
I absolutely think it's fine for others to do. I couldn't care less.
So important topic! I remember a couple of years ago a teen girl went missing in Germany, and both the parents and the police had a hard time making the "Missing child" press releases, because every single recent photo of her was retouched by some app or the other.
Sadly I can't remember how the case ended...
I'm an older woman... (42...) so I don't mind posting "raw" selfies - but I am mindful of lighting and pose, so I'm not immune.
U are absolutely right. The girl went missing about three years ago and hasn't been found yet, unfortunately. Although the case was all over the news and people paid lots of attention to it, it was difficult to figure out just what she actually looked like. The images that were released could have been four different people - any distinctive feature had been filtered into oblivion. Not saying that that's the reason she hasn't been found, but yeah, that was a thing. Stay safe and happy holidays from Germany 🌲
I remember this! She lived close to where I'm from and even the pictures on her "missing person" posters are edited and have snapchat filters on them. It was impossible to come by an unedited picture of her.
She still wasn't found. It's rumored she was either murdered or she was sold into human trafficking. It's so sad her family might never get closure about what actually happened to her.
This is a very real thing, I recently saw a post about a missing girl from my community and she had filters on in them. She ended up getting found but it was shocking seeing that she had obvious filters on the pictures. Pretty alarming in my opinion
I'm so glad I never got into the filters on social media. I'm 34 and just got my first IG this year for my business. I will do my very best to make sure my daughter(now 4) doesn't grow up with dysmorphia, which is an uphill battle. I went thru it really bad in the early 00s with the whole "heroin chic" and airbrushing before we knew it was airbrushing.
That app is insanity!
I love how you balance being honest about your Botox, fillers, in context to skincare.
Hated my lips because they were uneven and after 4 or 5 years of overdrawing one side, I got fillers. Yes it makes me for confident and I love my reflection now, but dear lord people are always so quick to judge when they learn I got fillers
Don't tell them.
I was in junior year of university in 2001. There was a teacher who came in on a psychology class and said “whoever is not happy with themselves should go to the right side of the amphitheater”. We were about 60 people in the room and around 40 got up and went to the right side. When the remaining 20 saw that, some odd 10 moved too. Only 7 of us remained on the left side. Of course it wasn’t only about the physical appearance but 90% of a class not being content is a very large number, in my opinion. On your note, I hate selfies, social media and editing photos, but then again I always was happy with myself. Nice video.
What frightens me the most about this is the children and teens growing up with this just totally ubiquitous. I remember seeing magazine covers that were poreless and without any natural folds under the eye and thinking they were real - and feeling inadequate. But magazines weren't... in my face every waking moment.
honestly even the silly snapchat filters have messed me up because you think it's cute and innocent but then you realise its been slimming your face and smoothing your skin and now i don't like how i look without a filter
Filler? Pro. Unless an influencer is promoting a product that supposedly improves lips, wrinkles, skin texture etc, and they have had fillers in these same areas: No! Thanks for talking about the filter issue. Prior to finding your channel, I had no idea filters were so extensive. It is really quite sad that due to the bugger-fakery in social media, people are becoming increasingly dismorphic.
Yea to all of the above!
Im a chubby girl and when I was 12, I started posting edited photos of my face and body as a thin person. My mom saw them and she whooped me and lectured me. I was crying so hard but she cried as well. I saw how much it hurt her that I hated myself. She didn't just tell me to love myself, she taught me how to while growing up. She's an amazing mom and I love her very much.
I’d LOVE to chat about my *journey* regarding self acceptance. I’m 40 and I’ve just now discovered self acceptance. I’m VERY anti-filter and never ever use it. EVER. These type of videos that you post are SO important. Thank you for doing these.
I agree. 35 here. I'm never going to do fillers or botox. I'm all for natural ^^ Just aging gracefully with only skincare. But if it makes someone happy, they should do it.
I'm in my early 30s and I'm so glad I was a teen/in my twenties before filters. I know I was attractive because I had a lot of attention from others but I was also self conscious and never felt good enough, despite this. That would only be exacerbated if filters were common place. I could see that really messing me and others up.
You and Robert have got to stop torturing me. I can't handle you both dropping your videos at the same time!! How am I supposed to pick who to watch first!?!?!
A big part of my journey to self-love was learning to take off the Snapchat filters when I took a selfie or video. Now I rarely, if ever, use a filter and if I do it's to have fun- not because I hate how I look
1) I highly disapprove of filters when it's an ad. 2) I don't care AT ALL if people get surgery/fillers/botox, whatever. Not everyone is born perfect. 3) What I DO care about is self esteem-especially for youngsters, AND 4) people realizing many of these pics or videos are fake/surgery/filters etc. It is unattainable nowadays and no matter what you do you can't win, I'm so glad I didn't grow up with this crap. I always explain internet vs reality for my daughter who is a pre teen. It's definitely not too early especially nowadays to help them with self esteem
Thank you SO much for your honesty about your own "tweakments." It's so rare and refreshing! You look fabulous.
Love this! I’ve had a nose job because I have always hated my nose! BUT I researched the absolute shit out of the procedure and my surgeon AND I saved every penny myself (no debt) and I didn’t do it until I was 30 and absolutely sure I was doing it for the right reasons.
As a person who struggled with eating disorders and also studies art therapy, I want to say there is a process to "loving yourself". Or at least being body neutral. There really is. But let's be honest, it's a long, bumpy and energy consuming process. There's a point where I believe it's ok for people to get work done on themselves as long is it's safe and their whole existence doesn't depend on it. Because if it does then I'd say invest into therapy instead.
I'm 10 years into recovery from an eating disorder, and am totally on board with what you're saying. It's not easy to be at peace with yourself, and it's something I still have problems with at times, but damn, I know the work I've done since I was 18 has paid off.
James, social media needs more content creators like you. I am sooo glad you are doing these videos. I feel sorry for the teens and younger people that are growing up being bombarded with unrealistic body and face images. It is easy to imagine what a slippery slope this is. Merry Christmas, James, and to everybody in the comment section!
I’ve been off social media for about 2 months and I feel like I’m slowly really liking the way I look despite not really changing anything. Imagine how much confidence I’ll have in a year lol
I like your before nose. One topic to bring up with this whole subject is the homogenization of appearance. People all start to look the same and individuality and ethnicity is getting lost.
I was also thinking of how the world may have been before everybody even had mirrors, and now cameras. I'm pretty old, and since I can't see my own face, I don't stress about it too much. The incessant looking we all do now at ourselves and others, and using it to assess character, overshadows other ways of judging people that are often more valid.
Our faces used to tell the story of our life, and now it tells a fairy tale.
Love you, James. Keep on doing this. The kids need to know.
Exactly. Old here, too. 54 tobe exact. The amount of time it took for to be able to tell Cardi B. and Nicki Minaj apart! I'm still not really confident in this, very strange. And here in Germany, we have a Rapper-Singer-beauty OP queen, who looks like a barbydoll and sings about this as if it was a rebellious lifestyle for strong, independent women. Very puzzling. I've always had my doubts about the validity of Mae West's status as Liberty personified, and I recognise the same idea behind this...
Also, these pictures of James, pretty early on in the video, I did not recognise him in either of them!
The tendency can go one of two ways:
1 - we start to distrust all pictures and remember the joy of meeting in person...
2 - we start to be disgusted by real faces and only communicate through facetime with tons of filters.
If AI has its way, it ought to go in the second direction.
Have not gotten to the before nose yet, but have long had my suspicions about it being the more interesting version...
I appreciate you being as open as you are about the procedures you've had, like fillers or botox! It's really refreshing. And whoever does yours gives you really natural looking results- you 100% could lie about it and nobody would know tbh, but I really appreciate your honesty!
Thank you for addressing these things. We are seeing skyrocketing rates of depression and anxiety and the deceptive nature of social media isn't helping.
It’s not only affecting the younger generation but also the older too. My mom is turning 55 next month and she asked me how she can look like JLo in an AD. She constantly rags on herself and keep pointing out how something looks on her body and face but she looks fine and is also healthy.
It’s really heartbreaking and I don’t know what to say to her to try and help her😔
Thanks for featuring my photo, James! I agree with everything you’ve said and love to share my own journey. No shame in being open about treatments. Happy New Year.
That girl who said how bad filters are for your brain is bang on. I tried an app a while ago just for fun of a picture of me I really liked too and after I had edited it I didn't feel as good about the original anymore and could only see the things that could be enhanced or made better. After that I vowed to not use them again as I have days of feeling insecure as it is
Filler in the face can lead to blindness. Threads may be not be reversible. I know that I would be quite appreciative if "influencers" who are open about their work, which I appreciate in and of itself, also discussed the possible cons. Researching the cons, side effects, and possible implications on future aging has been enough for me to love myself and imperfections because for me, being healthy is more important than looking good in pictures.
I get jaw relaxation injections like Lab Muffin (yes it is botox indeed!) and honestly it's changed my life. I don't wake up in the morning with toothache and tension all over my face anymore. A slimmer face and a more pronounced jaw line are some nice side effects for me :)
This is the first time I've heard of this treatment and I honestly wish I'd heard of it sooner! I get killer headaches/facial tension from reflexively clenching my jaw, so I'm definitely going to look into this.
How much it cost?
@@tasnimatonnee963 It depends but sadly it isn't the cheapest procedure, as it requires quite a bit of product and you might need a couple of sessions to achieve the best results depending on the strength of your jaw muscles (+ regular top ups). But as James mentioned, please don't ever be tempted by a cheap injector! Also if you struggle with teeth grinding I'd recommend seeing a dentist first as this might not be the best solution to the problem
@@stefano9880 thanks a lot brother for ur kind reply. I wanna do some surgery specially my eye area. Just wanna know get some idea and i got the your point. ♥️♥️♥️
I didn't know this was a thing! I have a massive problem with jaw clenching and my jaw is always soo tight at the hinge I wonder if this would help
I feel like the older I get the more I am becoming comfortable in my own skin. Knowing what works for me and what I think looks good and what doesn't. No work done but I'm not opposed to it. Do what makes you feel good about you!
It's actually been studied. The older you get the more people are generally more comfortable in their body, even though that means not as in shape as they were in their younger years. Interesting! Also true for me.
My (personal because it's absolutely none of my business if others get them) issue with fillers is risk versus reward. The reward is relatively low. I won't be able to make lines in my forehead or my jaw will be more rounded our. But the risk is relatively high. Even at good doctors, your body can reject filler and cause infection. In botox, there isn't a complete understanding of long term risk.
I try to stay away from filters as much as possible and I also don't really use social media, so it's really hard for me to notice when other people use, especially nowadays when the technology is insanely good. I really appreciate your videos and the way you point things out because it just goes to show that most everything on social media is fake and to be taken very lightly. it's also really uncomfortable seeing video after video edit these naturally beautiful pictures because the after photos look eerily similar to one another. I didn't even notice it at first, but everyone started to look the same! it's so creepy to see in real time and scary because I'm not sure I would notice if I was just scrolling through Instagram or Twitter
James, not sure if anyone mentioned it already but there’s no audio from 3:26 to 4:03 - I don’t think that’s done on purpose since the sound comes back halfway through your sentence! Love the video, hi from Poland ❤️
Would be a bit cautious about consistent filler, studies show filler stays in your face and can “move” from its initial placement, making the area overall thicker and less effective as the filler stacks on itself
Came here to say this. Filler is not a magic bullet.
Yeah recent studies with MRI scans show that fillers can last way longer (several years) than just 6-12 months that people have been told for years. And they will often migrate to another place in the face and the person who got them just think it "dissolved" on it's own.
Yup. Just look at what Jaclyn Hill did to her face. She's a beautiful woman but she's ruining her looks. I hate how she lies about it too.
to be fair i took a class in HS that taught me how to do taxes and i’ve completely forgotten :) at least i have turbotax lol. watching these videos make me happy i never really got into actively participating on social media besides some random comments on youtube. love your content!
Why did you and your brother upload at the same time? Now I have to choose which one to watch 1st.... you guys are my favorite
Haha as long as you watch both 🙏🏼💜
I think it's important to disclose if a filter was used; if an app was used to modify the final image; if fillers/botox/surgery was done so people are aware that's it's not just good lighting or poses. It's not enough to simply say "nothing on social media is real and everyone knows that" because many people are scrolling through social media for hours a day. Hypothetical scenario, someone spending 7+ hours a day scrolling through countless images that aren't real will end up registering these images as "normal" and attainable in real life.
Yay!! Perfect timing!! On my lunch break then taking some paid time off so I cannot wait to chill and watch!!
Oh nice!!! Are you the type of person to do nothing on your time off and actually relax? Haha
@@JamesWelsh ehhhh depends. I try to do nothing bc my job sucks my soul dry. 🤣 I need all the relaxation I can get. Plus I have a child that runs me ragged once I'm off work for the day.
James Welsh has taught me so so much. Really both of the Welsh Twins have supremely educated me. Thank you guys, my skin is better than ever and makeup techniques have evolved so much.
Now I have a serious urge to teach James about neural networks so he can see how simple is the "evil" behind the faceapp. Honeslty using machine learning for this seemed like a "fun" usecase back at the day when people found out you can detect edges in pictures...now it's just insane. It's literally just feature detection and slight modifications using a bit of math basically. It always fascinated me that there's no evil genius sitting in his high purple chair watching people's confidence go to shit...it's just science that's being used in a pretty shit way (in my opinion anyway...)
I'm contemplating a very minor cosmetic surgery and really struggling between accepting and loving myself as i am, versus taking advantage of technology to add quality of life to the second half of my lifespan. Thank you for being supportive and taking stigma out of what others might have called vanity
The joy of getting into my 60s is the fact that from about 50 onward I finally realised that folk are too busy living their lives dealing with their own issues to worry about what I look like. As my mum used to say there are plenty of people in the graveyard who would love to have your worries.
This is why I love your channel; you're ethical about these topics while promoting self happiness and wellness. I don't know exactly how I feel about fillers, Botox, etc. But, if everyone approached it the way you do, the world would just be a more honest place to live in. And that's what it's about, really - honesty.
Man thanks for your videos, I'm bingeing a bunch of them now, and they are very fascinating and insightful. I had no idea just how far things had gone with all this editing and apps etc. Crazy times we're living in lol.
Right! And this is a year old... scary
I love that you have a healthy attitude towards yourself. I love your honesty too. You are a beautiful man, as is Robert. and Marcus as well. Your parents did a wonderful job teaching you all to "you do you". I love your content. Keep it up!
Your non-edited vs edited photo really beings it home that minor changes have a major impact. There have been videos of possible procedures celebrities have done. It is always the small things one never thinks about like straighten teeth because that changes how teeth protrude and even the shape of the lower face.
I appreciate that you tell us what you have and you don't do anti aging because of this
I got catfished on a date by a person who edits his and his family’s photo like a pro 🤣 I’m so shocked up until now that I can’t get over it 🤣
It always starts out as subtle tweaks until people take it too far. If you don't do the work to figure out the mental/emotional reasons why you hate so many little things about yourself you will always find things about yourself that need "fixed." There's actually nothing wrong with how any of us look, but mentally we are all very effed up.
It’s pretty crazy how far you can take photo-editing these days. I forget how truly easy it is to completely change the way you look online with a few clicks of a button. I like how you pointed out the various safety concerns that come with these filters because almost everybody can be affected by these concerns!
I'm glad James posted a message about this on RUclips because I swear I never saw this be posted!! Anyone else?
I mean apparently thousands of people did but hmm
I've been saying schools should teach: how to balance a check book, invest in the stock market, do taxes, apply for a mortgage, cook a meal and change a flat tire. Now working with younger people, they should teach how to address an envelope and where to put the stamp!! Ugh, I truly worry for the younger generations!! 😕😕😕😕
I just agree with everything you said 😅 As long as you’re not actively selling something and claiming that a product did something that a filler actually did, fill away! Or at least disclaim it! Honestly by this point I feel disclaiming filters/editing might be just as important as disclaiming an ad 🤷🏼♀️
It's amazing the difference of just a camera can make. I had every single selfie I take with my phone, but I'm actually pretty pleased with how I look on Zoom (with reasonably decent lighting).
THANK YOU for saying one of most annoying things is just love yourself and comparing it to depression and just smile!!!! It is SO Annoying!
Absolutely phenomenal video topic! The use of digital enhancements in EVERY aspect of our lives is the reality we are living in now. Ranging from beauty standards to the food we consume (like I saw a grocery ad on TV and I know that apple didn't fall from that tree looking 10/10 🤔).
It is videos like this that create an open and honest dialogue about the things we see, hear, and compare ourselves to in traditional and online media.
From you, not only have I learned that it is all about progression over perfection, but equally it is about education over expectations (or rather the unrealistic expectations we put on ourselves based on what we see).
It is truly refreshing to see an influencer/content creator use their platform to educate and speak on these sensitive, sometimes secretive topics.
The more we know, the better equipped we'll (and hopefully the younger generations) be to recognize the real manipulation out there (when it comes to brands/celebrities using digital enhancements to sell products) but also to realign ourselves to a more mentally safe space by realizing that not everything you see online is 100% real.
Love your work James! Lots of love and support to you always! ❤
I would say this is the problem with those 'naturally looking' fillers and botox. We get so used to these altered 'naturally looking' faces that we think that is how human face should look, while sadly it is not exactly real.
as a 14 yr old (about be 15) there are barely any pics of me without a filter, your vids have been helping me a lot, i am able to be okay with a regular selfie from my phone camera
i still use the snow app sometimes but not as much ^^
I’m 30, and I’m getting filler for the first time next month.
I’ve lost a bit of volume in my cheeks due to losing weight/not looking after my skin properly when I was younger. Now I have a quite prominent smile line on the one side of my face, which bugs me every time I look in the mirror! It’s going to make me feel better about myself so why the heck not!
It's awfull I've lost a bit of weight as a 40 yr old and my face has aged 15yrs in 2 months hate it.
Because your 30. What ya gonna do when your 65?
@@deecee901 shell have, by then, spent enough money to buy a house, on herself and shell still look 30!! I dunno I'd deffo do it, if I could afford it but I'm 41. It's sad that most lasses in their early and mid 20s are doing it. They all look the same. That's just how the world is aesthetically speaking at the moment. And insta has a lot to answer for
In my opinion when so many people get these little tweaks done it raises the beauty standard for everyone and puts more pressure on people to look good and maybe lowers the self esteem for people who don't want/can't get these tweaks done. But then again everyone has the right to do whatever they want to their faces and it's not really anyone elses business
I do think that fillers and very small irl tweaks have more of a social impact than we think of and it creates a "natural beauty" standard that's not as attainable as people like to make it.
I think with fillers - obvi people should do what they want to with their body - but it’s also a kind of grey area in the ‘people don’t actually look like that, but then they also literally do’, and it’s so subtle that you wont think twice before you see the before and afters, which also makes you think that ‘everyone’ else has a perfect this or that.
I had my eyelids done because they were drooping and I had to really lift my brows in order to open my eyes more, I looked sleepy all the time and people think I'm falling asleep all the time. Sometimes there are just things you can't change without external help. I feel like if the procedure doesn't negatively affect your normal function it's fine and all, some small boosts on your appearance can do a lot of good in life. I totally agree "Just love yourself" is bull, they never tell you how, and the most difficult part of this is learning to love yourself.
This video is FANTASTIC! Great job! I love the educational and raw conversation you have. Great job.
OMG, James, I just downloaded that app (free trial) to try it out. In less than 3 minutes I changed my face into an entirely different person. I thought it would be me with a bunch of makeup, but my lord if someone else did it and sent me that photo I would have no clue it was originally me. This is truly terrifying!
Interesting topic. Fillers vs non fillers. It’s personal. At this point in my life I say no fillers (for me) but I don’t think we have the right to judge those that do. I agree with you that if they are selling me a product then I do believe in transparency. A person having fillers won’t be “less” in my eyes. If having fillers is part of that persons’s journey for self care/self love, than carry on. Just be careful who you go to, this is one area that you don’t necessarily want to save money on.
To me, what people do with their own faces is their business, but it does worry me a bit that there has become an ideal type of face or look, in a similar way there was re body size, pre body positivity movement (and obviously the whole body image thing hasn't gone away). If I can afford it in a couple of years I might have a bit of botox, until then I'm sticking with looking after my skin. The filler on the bridge of the nose is really interesting. I was interested in under eye filler, as my under eyes are a bit sunken, but I read the other day that it's very risky and a lot of good practitioners are now advising against it, so I've changed my mind!
I really appreciate your honesty about the facial work you had done. Also, you had mentioned in another video how exfoliation gets rid of texture and I grabbed onto that one!! I exfoliate now twice a week and many of my wrinkles have disappeared. Thank you , James!!
i was so influenced by filters and retouching as a young teen when i was first getting into makeup (around 12-13). instead of starting with lip balm and maybe a little concealer, i started with full glam. it definitely affected how i viewed myself. i’m now 19 and although i love makeup (and i tend to wear pretty gothic looks), i don’t wear makeup 90% of the time and i’m still confident and i love how i look both with and without it
LOL Mrs. Doubtfire! The thing that people have to remember is there is always someone who knows you and KNOWS you don't really look like the filter. I also always thought some of those "eye looks" looked awfully fake, but now the technology is so good, how would someone know whether or not a makeup artist's or hair stylist's portfolio is real, or if before and after skin care product is real? I really appreciate you showing us how to look out for this stuff to help our self image and to be more informed consumers.
I love listening to your commentary on issues like this. You are really well balanced and honest in your videos. Bravo 👏 I don’t give a shit what fillers or Botox anyone else has, it’s just not for me. I appreciate your honesty about what you get done. I’ve never felt mislead by your content because like you say, you don’t advertise anti aging products!
See, my problem with filters is the ambiguous way in which it upholds specific ideals of beauty and upholds ideas of white supremacy and racist notions of beauty. So many of the filters give you more “European” features and racially-ambiguous lips, eyes, etc. it’s super uncomfortable and as a Black trans woman……. It deeply warps my communities notions of how we should appear.
I agree, and I'll add that they promote other problematic beauty standards too
I notice that every filter makes me look very young, making my eyes bigger and nose smaller and impossibly smooth skin. So many apps, particularly white-centric ones and Asian ones have an emphasis on little 'cute' faces
I'm not saying that the apps should give wrinkles, but there's something very weird about making my 27 year old face look like an 18 year old's
I consider myself more beautiful/sexy now that I'm older, but these sort of apps reinforce the idea that we should all strive to look like teenagers 🤮
True. My issue with a lot of plastic surgery today in real life iss White society cherry picks ethnic features found in Black/Hispanic/Native culture (lips, Butt, cheeks). You have White women trying to imitate ethnic feature that are celebrated within Black/Hispanic communities and suddenly it's in style because White women are sporting it. Sorry, the plumped up lips look fake and ridiculous. trout pout.
The difference between them is that at the end of the day with fillers you look the same in your photos and irl, filters are only for your photos and when people see you or you look at yourself in the mirror you see another person. If you wanna ok different get fillers but please make sure it isn’t because of influences and beauty standard but just because you personally want them for your own person and not for Instagram or smt. It’s very important.
I’m really glad you mentioned about finding someone with knowledge and skills to do it safely. There’s so much risk with fillers (and same with tattoos, permanent makeup etc)that can be reduced by choosing carefully. People have really strong opinions on all these things but it has to come down to personal choice.
Hey!! It’s me in the thumbnail, that’s hilarious!! 🤣🤣🤣
Wanneer daten?
Thank you so much for this!! One year ago I had facial reconstruction surgery and my face has changed a lot! And now there’s things I’d like to get done, not because I don’t like myself, but because I want some more balance to my appearance as certain areas continue to change. Or to help the areas that wrinkled once my swelling diminished.
I’d rather love what I look like by changes I’ve had say in than live with the dysmorphia I have from getting a medically necessary facial changes
I think this just proves my point that social media has been nothing but bad for society in so many ways..... Whatever happened to just taking a picture of yourself, if you must, posting it and being happy with it. I was, a couple of years ago, going to post my eye looks on my Instagram, but because I couldn't get a good enough picture, based on lighting/camera/etc, I chose not to, mainly because I didn't want to hear the hate because of my age.... But seeing what everyone is doing and going through because of social media, makes me glad I didn't bother trying.... My age group isn't represented but because I've seen the effect all this crud has had on people and glad I walked away when I did.......
I'm 24, I've been cropping my forehead out of most photos since I was about 13. I'm a very expressionate person, so have a lot of expression lines on my forehead which stay when I'm relaxed and my makeup sits in the lines. I've been seriously considering botox for a long time, it is so so nice to see people being open about the work they have had done! Thank you James x
Hey! Honestly I would say go ahead and do it. If you hate it, it’s not permanent. You’ll probably love it!
if someone doesn’t like something about them and want to change it i don’t think it’s wrong but at this stage people with social media it’s almost hard not to hate yourself and where do you draw the line of not liking something and embracing and changing it vs when you feel insecure about yourself cause someone who you think is beautiful doesn’t have that feature and you can’t embrace it and want to change it
I'm pretty amazed how much difference lighting, makeup, angle & pose can make when taking "selfies." It can be quite drastic. That Face App would be kinda fun to play with especially if you are considering changing your hair color or hair style, you could see how it would look before committing. Same goes for any procedure or actual cosmetic surgery. You would have yourself as a baseline & not some celebrity whose individual feature might not look right copy pasted onto your face. I could see an app like this being useful for plastic surgeons to show their patients exactly what they'll look like after their rhinoplasty & brow lift. As long as photo enhancement isn't used for false advertising the results and/or efficacy of a product/lifestyle I really have no problem with people using it as another form of artistic self expression. It's not that different from having a flattering portrait taken or using a cute caricature as an avatar.
I do think that when it comes to cosmetic procedures/surgical enhancements & beauty standards, there is a conversation to be had about privilege, power, wealth, status, & a lot of other "isms" but basically I am pro choice & believe everyone has the right to make decisions about their own bodies. What they put in it, what they put on it, who has access to it. Whatever medical decisions they make are between them & their doctor including plastic surgery. I can't help but wonder though, if everyone becomes enhanced--how much more unattainable will the beauty standard get? It seems like such an arbitrary thing & changes often.
Psychology goes hand in hand with beauty...y'all stay safe out there and realise there ain't a filter for mental health
My main issue is the need for better regulations to make sure people aren't getting hurt, until I learned different I assumed that in order to do these types of procedures you had to have extensive training but as you mentioned that isn't always the case. Ask around, read reviews. It's a good idea to look up what the expected cost should be in your country/region and if the price is to good to be true it probably is. Don't be afraid to ask a load of questions like "what are your qualifications?", "How long have you been doing this?", "Can you please walk me through the process and educate me as to the potential risks?" if they don't seem knowledgeable and are reluctant/impatient to answer feel free to go elsewhere.
If you feel that your health and safety isn't a priority you have every right to leave this is something I struggle with myself but it's an important life skill. One thing I've learned over the years that seems so obvious now is that if someone is trying to manipulate you into feeling guilty for having questions or concerns and are dismissive and pressuring you to hurry up they do not care about you or your safety and they don't deserve your money. Anyone who is good at and passionate about what they do will want you to feel comfortable and safe and will be happy to answer your questions so long as you are of course kind, respectful, and have reasonable expectations of the time they can spend with you.
this is something ive never heard of! wow...messes with your mind, its crazy cos all the pics of the "before" look so nice!
Everything you said is common 👏🏼 sense 👏🏼 and i love you for voicing it!! Thank you!
I am a HUGE fan of fillers! I lost almost 100lbs over the last year. As a result, my face looks saggy. The fillers makes me look better. I do them for myself!