In an effort to help promote healthier and more realistic body image ideas, Instagram is banning filters that perform tricks to photos that mimic plastic surgery.
In a Facebook statement from the company that creates Instagram Story filters, Spark AR, it was announced that the Effect Gallery will get rid of those filters that deliver the effect having gone under the knife.
“We want Spark AR effects to be a positive experience and are re-evaluating our existing policies as they relate to well-being,” the company wrote on October 18 “At this time, we’re not able to provide exact timing on the new policy rollout, but we’ll share updates as soon as we can. We appreciate your patience as we work to maintain a healthy AR ecosystem for creators and our entire community!”
There are filters like Plastica that actually mimic how your face would look thanks to cosmetic surgeries, while FixMe shows how a surgeon would mark up a person’s face before operating.
While Facebook seems to see these filters as potentially problematic, the filter’s creator Daniel Mooney is less convinced. “FixMe was only ever supposed to be a critique of plastic surgery, showing how unglamorous the process is with the markings and bruising,” he told BBC. “I can see where Instagram is coming from, but for as long as some of the most-followed accounts on Instagram are of heavily surgically ‘improved’ people, removing surgery filters won’t really change that much.”
This decision comes not long after the social media app came out with restrictions for marketing and promoting weight loss products such as the Kardashian-favorite detox teas.
Thanks to the new guidelines, these types of products cannot be shown to users under the age of 18 and anything that makes “miraculous” claims and is linked to a commercial offer like a discount code will no longer be allowed.
Jameela Jamil, being such a longtime critic of these social media tactics, celebrated this news last month as a win. “Facebook and Instagram taking a stand to protect the physical and mental health of people online sends an important message out to the world,” she said in a statement according to Refinery29. “I’m thrilled to have been able to work towards this with them, alongside a host of other experts who shed light on the danger of these products.”
