Professional Instagram edits alter students’ perceptions

Kenzie McCoy

Famous supermodel and talk show host, Tyra Banks, revealed on her talkshow, The Fab, how to edit and touch-up Instagram photos before posting them on the popular photo app. This trend of editing and retouching photographs is no longer just a celebrity trend, but has influenced Instagram users around the world.

Banks showed the audience how to whiten teeth, make shoulders broader, and slim the neck area using the FaceTune app. Obviously, Banks isn’t the only celebrity, or even normal person who enjoys making Instagram photos look more polished and professional. Today, seeing the #nofilter is a commodity due to the high popularity of retouching photos.

Today, while scrolling through Instagram, anyone might get the feeling of a flipping through a magazine with the almost professional-looking, altered photos that are being generated by family, fellow Washburn students and celebrities alike.

Ben Faires, a sophomore mass media major, says he loves Instagram and often edits his photos to make viewers see what he wants them to see by adjusting the lighting, the frame, and other variants of his photos.

“I think that celebrities, or people in the spotlight, will go in and touch up their own photos just because they are used to being seen in a certain light,” said Faires. “I think people here at Washburn probably go in and edit their photos on Instagram, but there might be one percent of the student population that actually goes in and uses another editing app.”

This revelation begs the question, does anyone really #nofilter their photos anymore? When celebrities use the hashtag and showcase their bare faces, it’s a social media sensation.

Tara Guinotte, junior occupational therapy assistant major, sways towards the opposite direction and says she isn’t influenced by other people editing their Instagram photos and really does #nofilter on a regular basis.

“I don’t think [edited celebrity photos] impacts me specifically because I’m not going to start editing my photos just because of celebrities,” said Guinotte. “When I look at Instagram I’m not expecting to look at magazine finishes and professional editing, I’m expecting to see everyday, real life pictures. I think especially for celebrities to do this that are seen as role models, it shows that their everyday lives are as glamorous as you see in the magazines.”