The apps that allow you to retouch your photos before posting on Instagram are more numerous than ever. Their popularity does not fade either: the second iteration of the FaceTune app has been downloaded more than 20 million times between its launch in late 2016 and early 2018. In 2019, FaceApp has created a massive buzz by offering stylistic changes, thanks to artificial intelligence, but at the cost of any user’s privacy. Although, the movement of the pendulum seems to have recently returned to the valorisation of authenticity on Instagram.
More and more influencers are now choosing to publish unretouched photos.
Young Youtubers Emma Chamberlain and Joanna Ceddia are part of a new wave of teenage girls who cultivate a peculiar and cautious I-don’t-care aesthetic on Instagram. They share photos of smirks between two bikini shots and move away from filters to prefer granular or poorly lit photo carousels.
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i had to take these with self timer because im on family vacation and nobody will take photos for me
Those adhering to the trend are trying to break free from digital perfection. It is also the case for Instagrammers who use the #instagramvsreality hashtag, and who share a “failed” shot alongside a “perfect” photo.
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Our collective consciousness on the Internet has made great strides in the last ten years. The terms safe space, trigger warning and body positivity are now part of the common vernacular, and trolls are now being stung by enlightened Internet users.
The Body Positive defines this term as “a way of living that gives you permission to love, care for, and take pleasure in your body throughout your lifespan.” While the media often convey a very homogeneous image of the female and male bodies, the positive body movement encourages everyone to love their body as it is.
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God bless my stretch marks, definitive proof of booty growth (?: @jovantevin)
In July 2019, the #bodypostive hashtag summed more than 10 million publications. Other hashtags are gaining momenta, such as #normalizeskintexture or #normalizebodyhair.
Knowing that, some brands are already actors of change and promote greater diversity on their Instagram account.
Influencers are also increasingly open to sharing their feelings and talking openly about mental health.
With the advent of all these positive changes, one may wonder whether, over time, the disappearance of likes on Instagram will ease the mental burden on active people of this social media, famous or not.
