Apps that let you enhance your selfies———lookism gone wild?

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Have lookism apps gone too far, even in a selfie world? 

As if selfies aren’t enough of an indulgence, we now have apps that let narcissists enhance their selfies from head to toe. An “instaglam” app, called Bright eyes: clean up your image with Perfect365 ModiFace, is a powerhouse in the virtual makeover world.  The app developers* are responsible for an app which lets people try on make up and another which allows one to “virtually”  whiten ones teeth (Virtual Dentist).  The Perfect365  Beauty Mirror app allows for more drastic alterations such as anti-aging effects. It also allows video sharing, so you can instantly broadcast your virtual makeover online.

All told, selfie-enhancing apps can change facial features such as eye size, create higher cheekbones for you, and give you longer legs in seconds.

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According to one report, “In our selfie-obsessed age, image enhancement is nothing new. A survey by the Renfrew Center, an organization dedicated to education about eating disorders, indicated that 50 per cent of those who post photos on social media tweak them. These enhancements are becoming easier and easier to do, with filters and apps that let you swipe your way to beautification.
 

Some phones write perfection into the handset. The Beauty Face mode has been available on Samsung devices for a couple of years but on the new Galaxy S6, which launches tomorrow, it comes up as a default setting for all front-facing photos, and promises to “correct facial imperfections automatically.” A promotional video promises that with Beauty Face mode, ‘you become a little more beautiful’ — wrinkles are ironed out, eyes can be made larger and faces are slimmed and contoured.

Another app selling “perfection in one tap” is Perfect365. As well as the blemish-banishing and facial-contouring features, the app also comes with pre-loaded template styles, and promises magazine-ready snaps. Selfie queen Kim Kardashian is rumored to use it. And if you want to take your photo enhancement to greater lengths, the Beauty Plus app for iPhone and Android includes a stretch option which lets you make your legs longer, a feature that is particularly popular with its Japanese users.”

So what do you think? Have we lost the battle to narcissists. Is lookism in the driver’s seat? 
photoEnhancer
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*According to modiface.com, “The ModiFace’s story starts in 1999 at Stanford University, where the initial research on automatic face analysis began. This work continued at the University of Toronto from 2001 to 2006, including the development of signal processing algorithms that won a world-wide innovation prize from MIT. In 2006, ModiFace Inc. was born.
Today, ModiFace technology is the basis of the leading patent portfolio on skin analysis and facial visualization, and powers over 150 web and mobile apps which have been downloaded nearly 50 Million times.”
My latest book, PRIVILEGED KILLERS, is a true story about a half-dozen Dark Triad people in my everyday life - narcissists, manipulators, and psychopaths. Three of 'em murdered people, and one came after my wife and me. Print and e-book versions of this (and CLEFT HEART) available at Amazon and elsewhere online. Also at your local bookstore.

Comments

  1. Emma says

    According to a study by BuzzSumo, 50 per cent of those who post photos on social media tweak them in some way. This means that, even if you take the time to take a good photo, you may still want to tweak it before you post it. This is especially true if you want to make your photo look its best on Instagram, where the limit on photos is only 1080 pixels wide.

    Reply

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