Lined eyes, full lips, flawless skin, contoured eyebrows, prominent cheekbones… Instagram templates are trending as the TikTok video below says on screen “discover what your younger self is like”, “see what your perfect face looks like” selfie under the name “freckled brown”, “perfect skin”, “no filter”, “sun kiss” or “baby dixie”. Touch-ups that, sooner or later, can have a negative impact on the mental health of young people who grow up with these unrealistic standards of beauty. To build good self-esteem and, above all, a critical view, Unfiltered – Healthy user guide social networks, a guide by psychologist and social educator Cristina Gil and photographer Asiria Álvarez, through the Directorate General for Youth, with support from the Government of the Canary Islands 8 Tuesday, 19:00 at Schamann Audiovisual Culture Center.
“We focused on the use of filters to see what happens when you get used to seeing yourself with a completely distorted face.“It can affect your self-esteem and self-concept, more as it defines your personality during adolescence,” says Gil. “Likes, compliments, comments, or an increase in followers are like buttons in an avalanche. The machine that can encourage the consumer to want more and lead to extreme situations.” Filters started with dog ears, but now most of them are face-distorting beauty, so they fit into the artificial beauty canon and reduce visibility. Everyday goodies that can cause dysphoria when you see yourself in the mirror and don’t like it,” says the expert.
Without wanting to lecture, they propose an open and cross-cutting dialogue as a leading guide on the subject, both with professionals in the industry and with young people who can do this learning alone or in a group. “There are people who are aware of the situation, there are boys and girls who know it’s harmful and make them feel bad, and there are other people where it’s hard to stop using this filter because it’s combined with self-acceptance.Alvarez remembers.
Filters in Congress
This discussion with Álvarez went on for a long time, so they decided to step up and seek the support of the public administration to reach all possible areas. “We’ve seen a very important issue that is being discussed in the networks but not discussed outside. This project is a very easy guide – in print and online – there are lots of resources and exercises, apart from theory, that deal with what’s what. It takes teens and adults alike,” he notes. In American terms, the phenomenon is known as “selfie dysmorphia.” and it causes changes in the mental health of this population, which then leads to demanding changes in their faces, with shots of plastic surgery patients wearing digital masks, to name a striking example.
The dynamic, whose roots became popular with the Snapchat network in 2011, has jumped into parliamentary debate when Más País presented an initiative in October of this year for Instagram to identify unrealistic images in the style of advertising. made english Advertising Standards Authority “It’s not about banning, it’s about raising awareness and educating that you are no less talented without filters,” says Álvarez (ASA). The results continue to be seen. For now, the guide offers healthy dynamics, clues, and cues across five chapters to detect whether networks are affecting more than they should (eg, the time we devote to them). For example, improvement guidelines say some phrases such as: “surround yourself with people who treat you well”, “talk to your inner voice” or “set realistic and achievable goals”.
gender violence
In this regard, the psychologist argues that excessive ego is also not optimal, as expectations need to be adjusted taking into account the avalanche of reports from football stars, models, that is, influential people who can wipe individuals from a beach. to show that they are in an “idyllic landscape”. “We hope they understand that it reduces discomfort and that their self-esteem is variable, so the more you get to know yourself, the more realistic you’ll be, and the more self-respect you’ll be, the better.” They also offer alternatives with accounts that enhance their activities in the field of humor, activism or dissemination.“We tried that the guide doesn’t demonize, you just realize that the person you’re comparing yourself to isn’t real: people don’t have a perfect face, body, or life”.
Likewise, the text incorporates a gender perspective, as the authors consider good self-esteem to be a protection against other forms of violence. “This remains a soup of inequality that hits girls more.This is one of the main axes of Assyria in her works, describing the physical and psychological barriers to which women are subjected. Recognizing the need for editing, he makes a series of recommendations in one of the chapters. To enhance exposure or post-production less aggressively, for example lighting tricks, use of objects, mirrors or blurs, understanding of colors and the usefulness of self-portraits, “a very powerful self-esteem and self-knowledge tool”.
Even challenges to show without filters in the world like Campaign Drop Filter Sasha Pallari launched in February of last year. “Beauty is big business,” says Cristina Gil. Besides that they aim to be established, they give another perspective to fight against hegemony. There is still a way to go, but they hope it will be the first step towards social development.
Source: Informacion
