Snapchat dysmorphia: Beauty-level “fantasy”

Gone are the days when only models or celebrities had the chance to edit their photos using the latest technologies. Today, with apps like Snapchat, and thanks to their vast array of filters and editing options, everyone has the power to smooth their skin, make their lips bigger or whiten their teeth.

And let’s admit it, don’t we all look better with some of these filters?

But everything comes at a price, and obsessing over how we look on social media can have some seriously damaging effects.

Recently, doctors have coined a new term: “Snapchat Dysmorphia.” This new phenomenon describes patients that are seeking cosmetic surgery to look more like the filtered versions of themselves on Snapchat.

While it was common for plastic surgeons to receive some nose job requests, now they say procedures to correct asymmetrical noses/faces, thinning hair and droopy eyelids are the norm

And it’s younger people that are taking it to a higher level, just to enhance their appearances and validate their attractiveness.

It’s true that filters on Snapchat provide idealistic standards of beauty, but these images are entirely unhuman, and this often has a disastrous impact on people’s self esteem, leading to feelings of inadequacy and triggering mental illness.

“This is an alarming trend because those filtered selfies often present an unattainable look and are blurring the line of reality and fantasy for these patients,” say doctors from Boston University School of Medicine’s Department of Dermatology.

Till now, people have only requested fuller lips, longer lashes, bigger eyes and thinner noses, no Pokemon Pikachu ears or dogs’ tongues.

But hey, who knows? We never thought earlier that there would be people resembling Barbie, Ken or any other dolls for that matter. And yet here we are.

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Brahim Jaouane

I am a Digital Marketing specialist specialized in SEO at eXo Platform. Passionate about new technologies and Digital Marketing. With 10 years' experience, I support companies in their digital communication strategies and implement the tools necessary for their success. My approach combines the use of different traffic acquisition levers and an optimization of the user experience to convert visitors into customers. After various digital experiences in communication agencies as well as in B2B company, I have a wide range of skills and I am able to manage the digital marketing strategy of small and medium-sized companies.