@Concordiaesque - I wish, but mine never went viral, lol.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT86fwuLa/
That's mine ^ Many, many pounds ago. Lol
@PixiePassions lol thanks for sharing. I especially liked, "have you tried being more conventionally attractive?" That reminds me of when my friend has an asthma attack and I ask her, "well have you tried breathing more?" to which she replies, "Thank you for that brand new information! I hadn't thought of that!"
@Concordiaesque Breathing is hard
@Concordiaesque - You're welcome 😅 And thanks, that's the part I struggle with most. Like I WANT to be more attractive but there's only so much one can do without cosmetic procedure money. 🥴 Just like how your friend can only do so much to breathe 😅
I think heavy or extreme use of filters has more to do with how the person views themselves or how they want to be viewed. Some may think they are using them to show what they could look like, or wished they looked like, while others may think it makes them look like they could be on the cover of a magazine and therefore gives them a huge confidence boost... regardless of how close they actually look to the filtered image since it's widely known magazine images are touched up by professionals.
I think subtle filters to add freckles, change hair color, or remove a beauty/birth mark they might be self-conscious about is one thing, but ones which drastically change your look, including face sculpting, can be viewed as misleading. That said, those filters which take the details of a person's face and flattens them into a 2D mask with a fake bokeh surrounding them blurry eyes and a mouth make me cringe the most.
EDIT: I do feel I should add, back when I was a professional photographer, I would use tools such as Lightroom, Photoshop, and a few other programs to complete post-work on the photos taken. Most editing I did was to the image as a whole, not just the person or people in the photo, and any editing to them I did do was mostly blending/smoothing skin tones on their face and body, maybe brightening the color in their eyes, or removing scars (usually this was requested or discussed beforehand). I did aim to limit any face or body sculpting to keep things as realistic/natural as possible, sometimes making 2 versions of an image for them to decide, but in the end, it really depended on the person and type of photo shoot being done which determined my and their preferred outcome of the photos.
I don’t ever filter pics. Right now mine is not up for a certain personal reason, but it was up before. Recently I took a pic and I had a wrinkle on my nose I had never noticed.
The one on the OP is very dramatic. I wouldn’t want to show up and them be shocked. With me you get what you see on the pic. No filters.
@JoyfulHeart Yours actually looks like a set of steps, in the small icon pic on here. Once someone goes to your profile, then they can see what it really is.
@Concordiaesque I think the pic you have posted shows you are pretty. There were a couple of unwarranted comments made to me as a teenager, and they do stick with you, but a new recording for your mind…you are pretty. Hugs!
@stormydaycuddle I love freckles!!!
A child I know recently hurt her face near her eye. It gave her a scar that runs down from the outside corner of her eye. Her mom said they were going to put cream on it to reduce scarring. I told her on another day that I love her scar, that it’s cool looking. She kinda turned her head, like she wasn’t understanding why I would say that. I do actually like it, and I want her to remember that someone likes it. Also another child I know has a birthmark on her neck, and I make sure that I let her know it’s not something to cover up or feel bad about. Just part of who she is.
@CuddleHugs01234 appreciate you I have been told by friends I am "quirky, weird, and unique looking". The only times I have been called pretty are from people who think false flattery is the easiest way to manipulate and get what they want from me, it's never been genuine (present company excluded - I accept your compliment with gratitude )
@Concordiaesque You are most welcome!!!
My secret is...I like to take photos in my Acura while in this Texas heat so the air conditioner blows my hair away from my face like Farrah Fawcet ☺️
@TxTom I guess it's the opposite of the catfish. lol
No filters here. I love my imperfections: big, uneven teeth, rosacea-red cheeks, less than perfect hair, unsculpted face and not a perfect size 4. I wear regular glasses, not makeup. Being 50, I have laugh lines around my eyes. Doesn't matter, I want them all seen, no surprises, no catfish (or blobfish) claims.
Comedian Hal Sparks says diminishing eyesight is nature's photoshop. He says Lasik surgery will lead to more divorces amongst older couples. "Honey, you've really let yourself go. I'm outta here!"
@AllAboutSoul You're discriminating agst blobfish. "That's toxic." lol
@TxTom Hilarious. lol
@cylee1180 Discriminating against catfish, too. LOLOL
@AllAboutSoul 😡 Admin!!! Flagged, reported , tweeted, tiktoked.
@cylee1180 don't forget to report me to the FBI, CIA, MIB, MI6, KGB, DCU and MCU. 🤣😂
@AllAboutSoul MS-13!
These are my favorite photos of myself. No filter, of course. 😁
My thoughts on filters:
1) not all filters are so-called "beauty filters" used to completely change one's appearance to be more conventionally attractive or to "catfish". I really wish people would stop using the general term when they actually mean the use of a very specific subset or usage. Language precision is important for oh so many reasons!
2) I regularly use non-beauty filters for artistic/aesthetic purposes. I cut my teeth on photo editing back in old Photoshop/GIMP days, so I'm more likely to manually fiddle with photo lighting qualities and to edit out small imperfections if I must than to use a smoothing/blurring/obscuring beauty filter.
3) That said, I am neutral towards those who wish to use beauty filters if they are not using the enhanced images to falsely sell a product on claims that it makes them appear the way the filter does. Mascaragate is a classic example of what NOT to do (iykyk). I see no problem with people using filtered photos here, as it's easy enough to request an unfiltered one or video chat prior to meeting face-to-face for security purposes.
4) The use of beauty filters in general is a personal choice just like the use of makeup and may be done for any number of reasons that we as 3rd parties cannot even begin to guess at. The photo subject might feel insecure and so the filter helps them feel more confident and allows them to get out more socially than they normally would. Or perhaps they just like the aesthetics of the filter and it's an artistic choice they are making for themselves/their brand alone. Or maybe even they didn't think it through that deeply - they just saw some content creator they like on social media or a celebrity do it, so they did it too. None of those are morally corrupt behaviors intentionally intending to mislead people - they're simply people just using the tools available to them for personal reasons and we shouldn't judge them so long as they are not harming anyone.
5) Sure, it makes sense to judge the aesthetics of a hairstylist's personal haircut choices, or a fashion stylist's fashion choices, or a makeup artist's makeup application on themselves.... but how on earth is anyone supposed to determine the quality of someone's cuddles by their face? Even if a pro wants to use filtered photos, they are not falsely advertising because they are not "selling themselves"... they are selling their time, energy, and skills which cannot be photographed adequately. You're better off asking for a video call to get a sense of energy, or ask adequate questions to determine their skill levels, or just try meeting them face to face.
6) imo, if the appearance of someone's face without a filter or without makeup is going to make or break your (general you, addressed to no one in particular) choice in platonic cuddling with them, you're choosing them for the wrong reasons in the first place. Do you choose ANY of your friends or other platonic activity partners based off their looks? How ridiculous would it be to choose your running buddy off of how sexually attractive their face is to you? Or a gaming friend off of whether they use filters on their pics or not? Or stopping hanging out with your best friend socially because you judge their insecurity displayed on social media through the use of filters as unattractive or duplicitous - all without talking to them about their reasons for using said filters or even for posting the photos in the first place.
Quite frankly, the lack of empathy, consideration, and kindness displayed by such judgements says FAR more about one's potential lack of quality cuddle skills then it does about the people in the pictures. Every time I see commentary placing such high value on appearance on people's profiles or here in the forums, I'm grateful they are saving me the trouble of finding out if we would be compatible cuddle partners in the future or not 🤣
If it's for security purposes, absolutely reasonable to request an unfiltered & recent pic to make sure the person you meet is the person you've been talking to, and resistance to sending said pic is absolutely a yellow or red flag depending on your comfort level. But otherwise, seriously think about whether you (again, general "you") are trying to apply dating/romantic/sexual standards to your cuddle partners, and if you are maybe you should focus on working on yourself rather than trying to change your partners.
@PixiePassions Those look great! I love that atmospheric, film noir style.
(I'm guessing that's what that is. I'm a complete novice.)
@TxTom - My favorite filter. So fun. 😈😁
@stormydaycuddle that's a fantastic video. Thank you for sharing 💖
When I was pregnant I ended up with a pregnancy mask (dark pigmentation) on my face and it had finally started to go away (my kid is 7). This year it suddenly started getting darker again and is very noticeable. I don't like wearing makeup because my face breaks out when I do. So I just throw a filter over pics just to even my skin tone out. I don't use overly done filters (I think) lol.
A determined Handicapper General would solve this problem.
@Concordiaesque - For what it's worth, I think you're very pretty. And I obviously have nothing to gain by lying to you. I love your eyes, especially. They look kind and deeply soulful. 🥰
Maybe some pple are just really really extremely good looking and want to be more so...