You Don’t Really Look Like That & 10 Other Reasons To Stop Filtering Your Selfies

There’s nothing wrong with taking selfies when you’re feeling yourself, but you don’t need to airbrush every photo to the point where you’re barely recognizable and look nothing like yourself. After all, you’re beautiful just as you are and you don’t need to Photoshop yourself to look like a Kardashian for social media likes. If you’re a selfie queen who can’t stop using every possible filter, it’s time to chill.

  1. You don’t really look like that. Do you want to lie about who you are? No, of course not. So why are you so convinced that all of your selfies need a filter? The truth is that they really don’t. You’re beautiful exactly the way that you are and filtering your selfies is only going to make you look like someone that you’re not. Embrace that mole or those dark circles—you’re incredible either way.
  2. It screams insecure AFThe only reason that you love filtering your selfies is that you don’t think that you look good enough. Period. If you were super confident and comfortable with who you are, then you could post any photo and would be cool with it. The more you DGAF about perfection, the closer to it you’ll actually seem.
  3. There’s more to life than selfies. Shocking but true. If you see the world through an Instagram filter and you can’t wear a cute new outfit or change your hair without wanting to document it for your many online friends, you should remember what’s actually important in life. Making your selfie a bit brighter so your blue eyes really shine isn’t going to do anything for you.
  4. It will make you feel worse about yourself. Believing that your photos all need to be retouched basically means telling yourself over and over again that you’re not attractive. Always filtering your selfies is going to create a vicious cycle that just makes you feel worse about yourself. Seriously, all the likes in the world won’t help that. It’s just a photo. It’s not the end of the world.
  5. You’re too attached to social media. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat are super fun. They’re supposed to enhance your life and allow you to express yourself and connect with other people. They’re not supposed to be your entire life. Yeah, you could be doing far worse things than posting filtered selfies all the time but you could also be doing much better things with your time. Becoming interested in something or getting a new hobby will make selfies seem so boring and unimportant.
  6. You’re probably ignoring a problem. Are you posting selfies on a daily basis to avoid thinking about something that’s been bothering you? Do you think that as long as you look really amazing and get comments saying the same, it doesn’t matter if you hate your job or if you and your boyfriend are having issues?
  7. People get super bored of selfies. How do you feel when you see the same person Instagramming their face every day of the week? You might think that they look cute the first few times, but after a while, that stuff gets old. That’s totally how your friends and followers think when they see your steady stream of filtered selfies. Since you probably don’t want people to get bored AF by your social media accounts, it might be a good idea to stop.
  8. You’re subscribing to some pretty messed up societal ideals. It’s really as simple as that. You know how people freak out when a celebrity’s face and body are retouched like nuts by a publication? That’s because all the Photoshopping assumes that this woman is not actually a natural beauty and that something must be wrong with her. You’re basically doing the same thing and it’s silly.
  9. Perfection is not only overrated, it’s boring. If you’re so into filtering your selfies, it seems like you want your entire life to be perfect, including everything that you post online. The truth is that perfection is overrated and it’s pretty dull. When you scroll through a girl’s IG page and it seems like she has it all going on, you honestly feel empty. Is that really what you’re going for?
  10. Newsflash: You’re not a celebrity. Sure, Kim Kardashian is known for her awesome selfies and Kylie Jenner even deletes ones that don’t get positive comments and likes. That’s kinda sad, but it’s somewhat understandable because they’re famous and posting filtered selfies is part of their job. It’s not your job. You’re normal and you should act like it.
  11. It’s so much cooler to show your real self. If you want to be known as the girl who has perfectly filtered photos of herself and that’s it, then go ahead and continue with your selfie-loving ways. Chances are, you want to be yourself because that’s what everyone wants. Why not forget what your pictures look like, embrace your true self, and just chill out? It seems like a much better idea than spending hours every day going through filters.
Aya Tsintziras is a freelance lifestyle writer and editor from Toronto, Canada. In addition to writing about dating and relationships for Bolde, she also writes about movies, TV, and video games for ScreenRant and GameRant. She has a Political Science degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Journalism from Ryerson University. You can find her on Twitter @ayatsintziras and on Instagram @aya.tsintziras.
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