Odysseys & Stories | Faye Dickinson’s Instagram Filters
New in the ‘Odysseys & Stories’ segment is the story behind the ‘Filter vs Reality’ and Is Am Enough’ Instagram filters. Created by Faye Dickinson with the purpose of helping with the issue of filter addiction, mental illness/disorders caused by social media and filters etc. One in four people will suffer from mental illness and there is evidence to suggest that social media can affect, influence and play a significant role in this.
Dickinson’s personal story inspired her to create two Instagram filters to address the need for awareness on this and to remind people that ‘social media isn’t real life’. . She created the ‘Filter v Reality’; filter, which has had over 261 million impressions. Celebrities and influencers like Jameela Jamil, Maya Jama, Lottie Tomlinson, Gemma Styles, Jessie J, Romee Strijd and Jen Atkin etc have used it. Dickinson then went on to create another filter on Self-love called ‘I am Enough’. She is quoted as saying it is a reminder to self that says “I am Brave, I am kind, I am Strong, I am Loved, and I am Enough with or without a filter.”
We asked Faye Dickinson to share the story behind these filters and how it all happened. Read below for the story in her own words…
“I remember the first time I ever used an Instagram filter; it was a couple of years ago. Filters have come a long way from the old-school flower crown and tongue-out doggy face. In their place today are the popular skin-smoothing, face-altering options that rid selfies of skin texture, tones, scars, and, well, everything that makes you unique.
I was addicted to filters, spending far too much time scrolling through the ‘Gram. It becomes increasingly difficult to differentiate between real and fake — and this can have a significant impact on mental health and body image. The problem with these face-altering filters is that you see a side of yourself with dramatic filters that don’t exist, which leads to an unnatural and inhuman ideal of beauty. It creates an unhealthy obsession we all have with that ‘perfect look. It’s easy to feel insecure, seeing how so much of the content we consume daily is filtered and photoshopped, and everyone looks picture-perfect; it’s hard not to point out your flaws, but REAL Is always beautiful.
After being in several lockdowns and everyone looking picture-perfect, I wanted to create something unique like my filters ‘Filter vs Reality‘ & ‘I am Enough‘to show people what you see on Instagram isn’t real life. Don’t let these filters fool you; you’re unique, beautiful, strong, powerful, loved and worthy without any filter. After successfully launching the ‘Filter vs Reality‘ filter, I launched my newest filter, ‘I am Enough‘. It’s a reminder: I am brave, I am kind, I am strong, I am loved, and I am enough with or without a filter.”
