Kristen MohammadiA new photo editing app called Photolift has hit the market, and its promise is the “dream appearance”. The app can do many things, from adding “realistic” abs to your beach pics to shattering the body image of every young girl alive.
This editing app is dangerous for a number of reasons. It’s essentially Facetune on steroids, which I shouldn’t have to tell you is not great. However, the most upsetting part of this app is its reshaping tool: by using this tool, you can completely alter the way your body looks in an image. In fact, you can go from a standard body type to Kim Kardashian in seconds.
While Photolift are certainly not the first photo editing app to offer body alteration, they might be the most advanced one. However, Photolift credits their reshaping tool in a very strange way. According to their website, it’s advertised as a “photo editing tool to reshape your body without having to exercise”.
They don’t stop there, either—the cringe continues.
“If you don’t have any spare time for fitness but you want to have sexy abs or chest, this magical app will help you to have them all.”
Who needs all that stoopid lifting when you can fake a “healthy” appearance online, I guess?
The reshaping tool not only allows you to thinify and tone your images, you can also enlarge and distort parts of your body. Yep, in mere seconds you can bump up your cup size and widen your waist, which I find totally disheartening.
Men can use this app to alter their bodies as well. Lookin’ scrawny or trying to hide your dad bod? This app can beef you up instantly.
Photo editing apps like this send the message to people that everything’s wrong with their bodies. It acts like the cure to your insecurities, yet it’s only feeding them. If you struggle with body image, like so many people do, this is absolutely not the solution. This is the poison.
This is terrifying my god pic.twitter.com/wocmVAeC6j
— sierra (@sssssssssierra) June 3, 2019
Along with body altering, you can also add tattoos, accessories and even facial hair to your images. So Photolift is basically the ultimate app to successfully catfish everyone who follows you on social media.
I’ve seen a fair deal of people roasting Photolift on social media. But I just know this app will be used a lot. There’s an unreasonable amount of pressure people face when posting images of themselves on social media. Getting more likes is like getting told you’re pretty. Posting on social media can be either instant gratification or deeply unsettling.
However, actress Jameela Jamil took to Twitter to express how dangerous this app has the potential to be. And she’s totally right.
Not only does this hurt us and how we see ourselves. It also affects how men see us. They cannot help but become hypernormalized to these images and their brains naturally become accustomed to this aesthetic. Which in turn can *genuinely* impact their attraction to us. Just STOP. https://t.co/oLf98aqASr
— Jameela Jamil 🌈 (@jameelajamil) June 4, 2019
Look, I’m not one to shy away from editing an image. Personally, I love when my Instagram looks poppin’. I’m absolutely that person who curates their Instagram to fit a certain aesthetic. However, this is done through filters and the magic of Adobe Lightroom.
But by changing your body or your face for the sake of posting, you abolish your own beauty. You tell yourself you’re not good enough. You tell other people they should change how they look, too. Body dysmorphia is a serious problem. Eating disorders are a serious disease. And social media’s unrealistic expectations are ammunition.
Image Source: Giphy, Popbuzz
