TikTok recently appears to have automatically applied a beauty filter of some sort to some users' videos with no way for it to be turned off. The platform's filters are, of course, one of its well-known features. However, although many of its millions of users enjoy playing around with filters, the unwanted modification of their faces in this way was not welcomed by users.

TikTok has an enormous audience, with over 800 million monthly users, and its many features continue to bring in further downloads and more content. Of its capabilities, its filters are among the most popular, often sparking trends for users to get involved with. In April this year, for example, TikTok’s Inverted filter rose prominence thanks to the ‘Deja Vu Challenge’. Users created content with the filter to flip their faces back and forth, mimicking the music video for Olivia Rodrigo’s new song, Deja Vu. Although users typically apply these filters for fun or to make themselves look more appealing in videos, they can be unwanted by users, with the Deja Vu Challenge having upset many who realized their faces were less symmetrical than they thought.

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Recently, Tori Dawn (@toridawn817) made a TikTok commenting on what appeared to be a beauty filter that had been automatically applied to her when recording. Dawn showed what her face looked like with what she believed to be the filter applied and then partially obscured her face with her hand to demonstrate the filter being seemingly turned off. It was apparent that it had slimmed down her jawline. Dawn also told viewers that there were no settings to remove the filter. 

Implications of TikTok’s Image Editing

TikTok user demonstrates apparent automatic filter

As reported by MIT Technology Review, Tori was upset about the apparent filtering, explaining that she felt uncomfortable recording videos now that her appearance was no longer authentic. Dawn was not alone in this experience, with many other users realizing that their appearance had automatically changed and relaying their concerns. The issue is later said to have been rectified and TikTok to have acknowledged that there was an issue, but no other details were reported to have been provided. Although TikTok didn't put out any commentary on why this situation occurred, it most likely was the result of a bug, with the filter seemingly only applied to users on Android phones.

Although the situation is now resolved, it is an unfortunate thing to have happened given the current focus on social media's potential effects on mental health. Beauty standards can be damaging to those who feel like they don't live up to them, making many social media users insecure about their looks. The Deja Vu Challenge was not well received by a large number of TikTok users for this reason. The simple application of an irremovable beauty filter in this way, meanwhile, could lead to further dysphoria for users who feel like their insecurities are being amplified by a filter attempting to make them look more feminine.

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Source: MIT Technology ReviewTori Dawn/TikTok