Jeremy Clarkson's daughter warns of deceiving Instagram filters

Former ’Top Gear’ presenter Jeremy Clarkson’s daughter, Emily took to Instagram to warn users of the dangers of filters on the app.

Emily, a writer, blogger and Instagrammer posted a video with a few “Hollywood” pictures of herself versus the reality of what she actually looks like, saying that people need to be aware of “how warped Instagram really is”.

In the long drawn out caption, she describes how filter apps have changed the way she looks, smoothing out her skin, buffering out her lines and eradicating blemishes.

She said: “YOU NEED TO BE AWARE OF HOW WARPED YOUR INSTAGRAM REALITY IS. The skin that you see has been smoothed. The lines buffed out. The blemishes eradicated. The eyes are brightened. The tones are softer. Some bits are smaller. Others are bigger. There are not just a ’couple of filters’ out there that you gotta keep your eyes peeled for. There are a PLETHORA of apps out there and they’re doing everything you can think of and more. And the worst thing about that is, you have NO idea who is using what to do what,” she said in the caption.

She continued saying that she would never blame an individual for editing themselves, but we do need to “address the behaviour of some of the people that we look up to on these apps”.

“Whilst I will never blame an individual for editing themselves (most people are driven to it out of insecurity) we do need to address the behaviour of some of the people that we look up to on these apps. Because the fact that people can entirely alter their reality AND NOT EVEN NOT TO DECLARE IT will be causing more issues than any of us perhaps realise. We are comparing ourselves to people that simply DO NOT EXIST. I look at these edited photos of myself and I barely know the person, and yet… it’s ‘me’- just the ’Hollywood’ version available in some app. How am I meant to then be ok then with the person I see in the mirror… if she doesn’t look anything like the reflection I’ve curated for myself online?” said Emily.

She said in the long run, no one wins with these apps.

“The external validation the altered images receive in the shape of Instagram likes will not be worth it to the individual who cannot compete with their online persona. And the consumers will never be happy if they are perpetually comparing themselves to people that literally don’t exist. I know I’m banging on about this. But so long as the apps are relentless, so must we be,” she said.

Emily’s fans appreciated her honesty, taylor_archie_mallory said: “You always hit the nail on the head! So true, thank you Xxx”, while wavydeo said: “This is deep. Thank you so much for being so open, honest and vulnerable with us 👏🏽💙 Our kind of gal 😘”.

Check out the video here:

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YOU NEED TO BE AWARE OF HOW WARPED YOUR INSTAGRAM REALITY IS. The skin that you see has been smoothed. The lines buffed out. The blemishes eradicated. The eyes are brightened. The tones are softer. Some bits are smaller. Others are bigger. There are not just a “couple of filters” out there that you gotta keep your eyes peeled for. There are a PLETHORA of apps out there and they’re doing everything you can think of and more. And the worst thing about that is, you have NO idea who is using what to do what. Whilst I will never blame an individual for editing themselves (most people are driven to it out of insecurity) we do need to address the behaviour of some of the people that we look up to on these apps. Because the fact that people can entirely alter their reality AND NOT EVEN NOT TO DECLARE IT will be causing more issues then any of us perhaps realise. We are comparing ourselves to people that simply DO NOT EXIST. I look at these edited photos of myself and I barely know the person, and yet... it’s ‘me’- just the “Hollywood” version available in some app. How am I meant to then be ok then with the person I see in the mirror... if she doesn’t look anything like the reflection I’ve curated for myself online? In the long run, no one wins with these apps. The external validation the altered images receive in the shape of Instagram likes will not be worth it to the individual who cannot compete with their online persona. And the consumers will never be happy if they are perpetually comparing themselves to people that literally don’t exist. I know I’m banging on about this. But so long as the apps are relentless, so must we be. Inspired again by @sashalouisepallari’s #FilterDrop campaign - FEATURED IN THE BBC TODAY BABIEEEES!! Xxx

A post shared by Emily Clarkson (@em_clarkson) on Sep 7, 2020 at 9:55am PDT

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Let’s talk about FILTERS. And EDITS. And why you must NEVER EVER compare yourself with the things you see on here. There are currently an EXTRAORDINARY amount of filters in circulation. From the “subtle” lil afterthoughts available in your stories (Paris here’s lookin’ at you) to the apps that will (for a bitta £££ each month) hide your spots, pinch your waist or apply the makeup you’ve not bothered with irl since March. Some of these are fun. And on the surface, most of them are pretty harmless. But on the scale that we are now consuming filtered content, conversations HAVE to be had. Because en mass like this, filters are becoming increasingly dangerous. Cos they don't just pose a threat to us as consumers: constantly comparing ourselves with images of people who are selling us an entirely distorted and usually unobtainable reality. They also pose a colossal threat to us on an individual level and to the relationship we have with our body. How are we supposed to ever make peace with our offline appearances if we are able to make our online versions so much more desirable? How will we ever see ourselves as perfect if instagram keeps providing (often unsolicited) ways of making us BETTER? How do we protect ourselves from developing dysmorphia if the reflection we see in the mirror is so consistently different to the one on our screen? I will never begrudge an individual the use of a filter. In most instances their usage is borne out of insecurity - the very insecurity I am trying to prevent with posts like this. But on a societal scale I very much begrudge the creators of these apps and effects. Because they're everywhere. And they shouldn't be. This post was inspired by @sashalouisepallari and her #FilterDrop video. We spoke yesterday and it brought home to me again the magnitude and importance of this conversation. The conversation that we MUST keep having. But for now, here's this. A reminder, please, that this shit just ain’t real and you mustn’t, pleeease, compare yourself to everything you see online. You’re enough. As you are. #FILTERDROP ✨

A post shared by Emily Clarkson (@em_clarkson) on Aug 5, 2020 at 8:52am PDT