How to take the perfect selfie

Published Aug 31, 2015

Share

The social media arms race is ever-escalating. First you had to post about what you were doing (Finally visiting the Grand Canyon!). Then you had to include a picture from it (The Grand Canyon is soooooo beautiful!). Then you had to post a picture of yourself there and tag everyone else in it (Don't worry, it just *looks* like Shelby and I are about to fall into the Grand Canyon!). Next, before even heading from your hotel to see the Grand Canyon, you had to post photos of yourself taken in a mirror so everyone could tell you how cute you looked in that outfit.

Now, some would have you believe, you have to adjust that selfie until you appear flawless.

“Ever wonder why your friends' selfies look so good?” Facetune asks in a typical tweet accompanied by a photo of a somewhat chubby guy morphed into a thinner guy with sparkling teeth.

With Facetune, Photoshop meets the selfie, and at a fraction of the expense. The app allows you to smooth away your wrinkles and cover your blemishes. You can erase the circles under your eyes, hide the gray in your hair, color your lips and brighten your smile (okay, maybe it's time I sprang for one of those teeth-whitening treatments). On top of all that, you can add a variety of filters.

You also can make your waist more slender, your chest broader or your cleavage bustier, though Facetune's instructions focus on facial imperfections. But beware: If you aren't meticulous, careful viewers will be able to spot tell-tale signs that you've altered the photo, such as distortions in the background.

And it's not as easy as it sounds. I was able to whiten my teeth, smooth my wrinkles and under-eye circles, darken my eyebrows and slightly slenderize my face. I used a tool to “accentuate” my “best areas” — eyes and hair — though it also changed my eye colour. But no matter what I did, I could not redden my lips without looking like a toddler who has gotten into her mother's makeup.

I wound up with very plastic-looking photos. My college-age daughter's response? “That's kind of creepy.”

Though the result might turn out less creepy in more talented hands, the idea remains so. (Wrote one Twitter user: “It's awful that your business is telling people they're not good enough to post their real pictures.”) Even if studies hadn't linked selfies to low self-esteem, common sense would dictate that an app that encourages people, especially selfie-obsessed teens, to “gently modify” their facial structure with a “Reshape” tool probably isn't a great idea.

Plus, think about all the disappointment Facetune will generate among daters. – Washington Post

Related Topics: