Selfie-improvement

Selfie-improvement apps – helpful or hateful?

Suffering from selfie-esteem issues? There’s an app for that…or several, for that matter.

They’re called selfie-improvement tools and they’re basically mini-photoshop style tools that help their users slim down, whiten their teeth, and perfect their selfies drastically - all in a matter of seconds.

Skinneepix, allows users to decide whether they’d like to take off 5, 10 or 15 pounds (roughly equating to 2.5, 5 and 7 kilos) off their selfie. Perfect365 identifies the eyes, nose and lips in an uploaded photo and allows users to make changes to their features and apply fake eyelashes and make up. And Facetune can help users remove dark circles, blemishes, cover bald spots and even use a reshape tool to “gently modify your facial expressions and structure”!

Popular with the tweens and teens, who are particularly susceptible to how many “likes” and comments that their social media selfies generate, selfie-improvement apps are indicative of just how much image is linked with confidence.

Commonsense Media in the U.S. reports that according to a recent survey on body image by AOL.com and the TODAY Show, 65% of teen girls feel that selfies and other flattering social media photos boost their confidence. But 53% also say that photos of themselves posted by others can make them feel bad.

With a whole host of celebrities being accused of digitally altering their selfies on Instagram, is there any wonder that apps such as these are popular with kids? While Miranda Kerr wrote a book pitched at young girls, called Treasure Yourself: Power Thoughts for My Generation, she was also subject to one of the most infamous insta-scandals of last year when she posted a picture of herself with a suspiciously small waist on her instagram feed.

When kids look up to these celebrities as role models and only see them presenting an idealised version of themselves, what hope do they have when it comes to positive self-image?

What do you think of selfie-improvement apps?

Source : parents[dot]nickjr[dot]com[dot]au