Not too long ago, I watched a video on Instagram from a woman discussing women’s fertility and health. I noticed that her skin was glowing – dewy and youthful-looking. I messaged her privately complimenting her skin and asked how she took care of it. She wrote back and admitted she used a beauty filter. When she told me the truth, I was pretty livid. This sparked my thought about how hypocritical female leaders using beauty filters can be.
I had looked up to her and her business for many reasons, but it didn’t sit well with me that she was a women’s health specialist using an AI beauty filter to talk about taking care of oneself. How she presented herself online seemed contradictory to her work.
Hard to Trust Female Leaders that Use Beauty Filters
I realized it’s hard fully trust her—or any woman, for that fact—if they use beauty filters while running a business. Especially if they are a health practitioner, why would they deceive us with their appearance and complexion on camera while sharing how to take care of yourself?
It is hypocritical to use an AI beauty filter while discussing a topic that is supposed to be beneficial for women.
Why can’t women in business be normal online? Why do they have to hide their real face on camera? Is it the specific platform that encourages it, or is it more a matter of insecurity?
When a woman leading a business speaks online and/or on social media using beauty filters, it communicates that she’s not comfortable showing her actual appearance and may be okay with deceiving her followers online – making them believe that’s how she looks.
Arguments Against Hypocrisy of Female Leaders Using Beauty Filters
You may argue: “Maybe she’s okay using a beauty filter and thinks people know she’s using one. There’s no harm in that.” Really? I see that there is.
When a woman runs a business, she’s a leader, and if that leader uses fake image technology, it presents a false image of herself – therefore she’s deceiving the public. If she is aware of this deception on a level, she cannot be trusted.
We need our female leaders to embody integrity, being genuine about who they are and how they present themselves. We need women to say “f-you beauty standards, and f-you to everyone who judges my appearance. I am more than my appearance.”
You may argue: “Maybe she just likes using the filter, or maybe it’s fun for her. It taps into creativity. And nothing more than that. I’m fine showing myself on camera, and sometimes use AI filter.”
Okay, I get it, it’s fun. Maybe you are happy at the moment with this beauty filter because it exaggerates certain features you like, but it always goes down a painful path. AI can enhance our appearance online, yet we are ultimately left to deal with our natural looks in real life.
Plus, if others are watching you express yourself on camera with the beauty filter on and they start thinking you look like that, it warps their perception of you.
The Trap of Beauty
The fact that women in business – our leaders on this planet – are using AI beauty filters is unsettling. It traps women in the belief that beauty and business must be one – that you must ‘‘look good to make good money,’’ and that beauty drives business.
As we zoom out to the bigger picture, it can’t be entirely Instagram’s fault for being a platform where people perpetuate beauty standards. And it’s not entirely a woman’s fault either for using AI beauty filters when they have to endure attacks and comments on their looks on a constant basis. You can see the whole mess we are in now, right?
If you do decide to use filters or edit your face on camera, please disclose it. You don’t know how many young women you are affecting by not disclosing, making them think that’s how you look. If we are more transparent about what we use to hide our true selves as women, perhaps our relationship with ourselves and each other will be healthier.
Featured photo by Tyler Lastovich