Instagram To Remove All Selfie Filters That Mimic Plastic Surgery

Instagram is full of changes these days, #Roommates. In addition to recently introducing the ‘dark mode’ feature, the social media platform also removed the ‘following’ tab. Now, the company is targeting selfie filters—and a lot of beauty gurus and plastic surgery aficionados are likely to be unhappy regarding the new guideline.

In an effort to appear not to endorse the significant disconnect between your brain and your body image when you use filters that distort your facial features, Instagram has decided to stop featuring all selfie filters that mimic the results of plastic surgery. As @Allure reports, according Spark AR, the platform for augmented reality development, it will no longer feature any selfie filter that is associated with plastic surgery of any kind. Also, any past filters with those effects will be removed from its Effect Gallery.

Beginning today, you will no longer be able to use Instagram filters that alter your face in a way that cannot be achieved with makeup. Filters that provided the ability to give users drastically bigger lips, different nose shapes and extremely contoured cheekbones, are officially a thing of the past.

The more harmless selfie filters that let you have animal ears, flower crowns and faux freckles will remain. The decision is based on the quest to minimize the alarming increase in plastic surgery in young people. Doctors have diagnosed the condition that has been called “Snapchat Dysmorphia,” in which young patients wanted plastic surgery to look like the filtered versions of themselves.

In a statement about the new filter guidelines, Spark AR explained the decision this way:

“While this happens, we’re doing the following: Removing all effects associated with plastic surgery from the Instagram Effect Gallery; postponing approval of new effects associated with plastic surgery until further notice; continuing to remove policy-violating effects as they are identified.”

Instagram also recently started cracking down on the sponsored diet posts that many celebrities would post on their page. It seems that more changes to the way users interact with Instagram are likely on the horizon.

Roommates, what are your thoughts on this?