Filter Free Dating: How Gen Z are finally understanding that beauty is in the eye of the beholder
By Sanchia Saunders
I am definitely guilty when it comes to dabbling with filters to enhance my social media appearance, especially when it comes to posting on online platforms like Snapchat and Instagram.
As who doesn’t love a good old flower crown filter, otherwise known as the coachella filter, or a cheeky dog, tongue wagging lens.
Side note, if you were young and thriving in
2016
like me, when these iconic filters hit our Snapchat screens, then you will already know that that was the birth of it all!
However, with statistics finding that, “Roughly 57% of UK Gen Zs say that they use filters on their posts”, it poses the question of whether the heavy usage of filters and editing has become damaging, in regards to the way that people view themselves and ultimately feel about themselves as a whole.
The Mask
So with filters very much being a part of a Gen Z’s everyday regime, especially on platforms like TikTok where the ‘Bold Glamour’ filter has been used in over 58 million videos, it reinforces the idea of how quickly people have become bored and almost dissatisfied with their looks.
I was reading an article by
Yahoo and I think it really summed up this new reality perfectly by stating that, ‘with hyper-realistic filters and endless body-changing content, it’s easy for people, especially the younger Gen Z - to develop negative feelings towards their natural bodies.
To try and attain something that’s not real, it can sometimes lead people to engage in behaviours that might not be healthy for them.
This is why I am not surprised that
The
National Organisation of Women cites a study saying that about 50% of 13-year-old American girls reported
feeling dissatisfied with their bodies.
In the same study, about 20% of boys reported being “concerned” about their muscularity and leanness - which just goes to show how filter obsessed/ body conscious we have become as a generation.
Self love era/ Natural Beauty/ Raw/ Organic
Despite all of this you should be happy to hear that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
This is because slowly but surely Gen Z have started to get into their
self love era,
and strip back the lip fillers inspired by Kylie Jenner and the BBL’s inspired by the Kardashians and instead just be themselves naturally and authentically.
As if you look at influencers like Nara Smith who recently opened up about how eczema has affected her physical appearance. To super model Winnie Harlow embracing her vitiligo and using it as her super power - it really shows how people are beginning to embrace their natural beauty.
Will the future of dating be filter free?
So with Gen Z embracing their natural beauty more and more with each passing day, especially when it comes to embracing all the little quirks that make someone unique - It poses the question of what does the future look like.
This is because, with insights stating that, “56% of millennials are thinking about their looks most or all of the time” when it comes to online dating will there finally be a reduction in the heavy use of filters and altered reality.
As with online dating being very visual, whether that’s creating
the best dating profile,
or
turning your Instagram into your dating profile,
how you present yourself online is important.
Which is why being unapologetically you is key.
But what do
you
think?
Credits:
- Wikipedia Coachella: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coachella_filter
- WeArePion: https://www.wearepion.com/blog-posts/gen-z-and-filters-three-key-stats-that-you-need-to-know
- Yahoo!Life: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/gen-z-social-media-body-171202512.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALvjtjpiIgAR5cEBsvHmmnGsl6jg7yuASbZn-SaHHSS2n3iDKY0V8cnevpGxIVUP0vAZb-gNyabR8jx6LZCRtni4x7lL8zt1nb3KMEWL7dTGxQsJslThU9Kr4BBh-iBOmhx9smJmqCOu9I5mWBIc-cO8A5oaWEka9i4ibf519k3L
- Cewuk: https://cewuk.co.uk/nielson-iq-understanding-global-beauty-trends-across-generations/
