Filters are a blessing and a curse, as while they be fun when themed, and help smooth over any insecurities like acne and discoloration, the fun social media can have a huge negative impact.
The dark side comes as influencers and social media stars continually show themselves using filters, choosing not to disclose their use of the tool and sometimes setting unrealistic beauty standards in the process.
Some influencers are taking a stand against this, showing their real skin in content to stamp on the common misconception that "perfect" skin exists, highlighting natural beauty instead.
One of these "skinfluencers" is Nicole Herbig (@theblemishqueen), a self-proclaimed "filter-free girlie" who regularly shares her skin struggles with thousands of followers on social media.
On March 4, Herbig shared a video showing how easily filters can hide pores. The appearance of large pores is a common insecurity, and blurring filters only add to the issue.
In the TikTok video, which has gained over 168,000 likes and 2 million views since being posted, she shows her makeup with filters and lighting designed to make it look smoother, removing each element to reveal her real skin texture. The caption states, "Pores aren't flaws."
She began by asking, "People are always trying to get their makeup to look like this, right?" referring to her smooth, flawless appearance before revealing she had something to show viewers.
The texture-less appearance was the result of good lighting, a makeup filter, video retouching, and more. Herbig showed viewers that, "After I turn off retouch, after I take off light foundation, after I turn off my ring light, and when I switch to [the] back camera and zoom in a little bit for you, you can see that my skin doesn't look like that either."
The final reveal was far from the first clip, yet still beautiful. Herbig shared, "I have a lot of texture from when I had really bad cystic acne, and I have pores.
"It's okay if your makeup looks like this and you don't look like a porcelain doll. We are living, breathing organisms, and this kind of makeup is beautiful.
What Do the Comments Say?
Herbig's candor on the subject has helped many struggling with their own insecurities to boost their confidence, as one user wrote: "It takes a lot to admit that stuff! Thank you for your honesty and transparency with how different the filters look layered on one another versus not"
"OMG thank you for this," a second commenter said. "I literally keep feeling like I'm bad at make up because I cant get my skin to look so smooth. It's so annoying....until you realize it's just skin and normal texture, wrinkles."
A third person commented, "Omg you made me feel so much better. Always wondering what is wrong with my skin routine and make up."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Lollie is Newsweek's Beauty and Self Care Reporter based in London, U.K. In her role, she covers a range of ... Read more
