TikTok offers an abundance of filters, with new ones coming out consistently. Some are made by users, others by the platform, and it's not uncommon for many to cause trends and go viral.But one of TikTok's filters has attracted criticism upon its release. So, let's look at TikTok's Bold Glamour and why it's so controversial.
What Is TikTok's Bold Glamour Filter?
TikTok offers a treasure trove of filters, so what makes Bold Glamour so different? Well, it stands out because it changes you, often beyond recognition.
The effect gives your face a sharper jawline with a more well-defined chin. It fills in your brows and arches them to suit your new face better. It smooths your skin, gives you a sun-kissed look and blushed cheeks, and fills out your lips.
The filter is way too good at its job. It seamlessly crafts you into an entirely different person, and you can't even tell at first glance that you're looking at a filtered face.
The effect does not slip. It stays in place when you move and looks natural even if you put your hands or objects in front of your face. As a result, it has attracted attention from TikTok users. Not only because people are curious about how they'd look with the filter on but also because they wonder if AI is behind it.
The Controversy Behind TikTok's Bold Glamour
The filter has received two main reactions from TikTok users. People either found it hilarious to look at how different it made them or found the consequences such an effect can bring concerning.
Bold Glamour could mess with your self-image. According to a 2021 survey by Parents Together, 61% of surveyed teens said that using beauty filters made them feel worse about how they look in real life. And with the ever-shifting beauty standards that always seem to reflect one unattainable look or another, filters like TikTok's Bold Glamour are no joke.
Another potential issue is people using it for misleading others. It's already so easy to fall victim to a catfish, and the Bold Glamour filter just makes it easier since it's so good at what it does. While it's easy to spot the filter is on when on TikTok, that's not the case if one gets creative.
You can use the filter on the platform, take a bunch of selfies, crop them just right, and there you go. A new batch of pictures to use on dating apps. Images that are technically of you, but not really.
Should Bold Glamour Be Allowed on TikTok?
TikTok's Effect Guidelines prohibit filters which include "the depiction or promotion of cosmetic surgery, including facelifts, rhinoplasty, lip augmentation (for example, lip fillers), liposuction, and double eyelid surgery".
These types of filters which alter faces considerably fall under a category known as deformation filters. Deformation effects change the shape of your face and your features to modify them, with some using beautifying effects. It's more than coloring your skin green or adding freckles to your face; you get bigger lips, a sharper jawline, thicker brows with a more prominent arch, doll-like skin, and so on.
Even if it's only one change of the many listed above, seeing yourself with it is jarring and can lead to negative body image issues, which are already prevalent on social media platforms. But when all these beauty changes are combined into a single filter, you become an entirely different person when you use it.
And this is what TikTok's Bold Glamour filter does. So it maybe shouldn't be allowed on the platform when it potentially goes against its own guidelines.
It Starts With a Filter, but Where Does It End?
It's already hard enough to be happy with your look since beauty standards seem to change every three to five business days. There's always some new trend for what's considered beautiful at that very moment, as if it's that simple to change your appearance.
When you see yourself with the Bold Glamour filter on and then turn it off, you can't help but feel disappointed with your appearance. And who does that benefit? Certainly not you. The best thing for everyone would be if TikTok users avoid using filters that are too realistic.