Instagram Influencers: Same Faces, Different Accounts

If you are an active user of Instagram, you have likely come across the ‘Instagram face’; plump lips, small nose, big eyes, long eyelashes, tanned, poreless skin - a majority of us have become quite familiar with this combination of features.

The ‘Instagram face’ is essentially an amalgamation of desirable facial features, exaggerated then condensed into a singular face that has become common to most Instagram ‘Influencers’ (internet personalities who have the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others), and favoured by Instagram’s algorithm due to its appeal in this ever increasingly visual world.

The issues associated with this phenomenon begin with the inspirations behind the features, as the Instagram face aims for a white-passing, but still racially ambiguous combination of features. In an interview with The New Yorker, celebrity makeup artist Colby Smith agrees that the “overly tan skin tone, South Asian influence with the brows and eye shape, African-American influence with the lips, Caucasian influence with the nose, and cheek structure that is predominantly Native American and Middle Eastern” are fueled by the desire for an “exotic” look, but seem to still work in the favour of white women.

This beauty standard also depends very heavily on photoshop and plastic surgery, which introduces a myriad of concerns regarding its effect on our perceptions of beauty. Minimally invasive treatments, or “tweakments” as they are more commonly known, including lip fillers, botox, and chemical peels, have become essential in achieving this look, and while most hold the belief that it is harmless for consenting adults to alter their own physical appearance in whatever way they may like, the dilemma arises when this becomes the ‘norm’, and beauty standards become dependent on surgical procedures and altered images, as well as when individuals deny having undergone cosmetic procedures after being questioned and praised for their looks. Surgeons and influencers alike discuss these procedures with the utmost casualness, to the point where these “tweakements'' seem as simple as putting on lip gloss.

It is important to note that while this issue is most prominent for women, it still exists for men, as gender dimorphism plays a large role in both cosmetic surgeries and the way we perceive beauty. The concept of sexual dimorphism aims to identify the physical features, aside from the difference in sexual organs, that differentiate men and women. Cosmetic surgeries then aim to imitate or exaggerate these features; for instance, a woman may get lip fillers, giving her plumper and more ‘feminine’ lips, whereas a man may reshape his jaw, giving him a stronger and more ‘masculine’ jawline.

While most of us can acknowledge that the images we encounter on Instagram are unrealistic and fictitious, they still offer that perfect balance between illusion and reality - not so fake as to be artificial, but just real enough to still be believable. This balance is where the charm lies, and as the Instagram algorithm favours posts that have considerable appeal and garner many likes and comments, this image receives the heaviest ‘push’ from the platform, meaning it ends up on many of our explore pages. The cycle is only perpetuated then, as the more we see of the Instagram face, the greater the pressure to emulate it grows.

We must then consider that the majority of Instagram users are quite young and impressionable; the age requirement to download the application is 13, and even then it is not difficult for children below that limit to circumvent these restrictions and create an account anyway. This overexposure to unrealistic standards of beauty, in addition to the carelessness with which cosmetic procedures are given out, leads me to the shocking and concerning results of a Vice experiment done in Essex, London, where a 16 year old actress visited a number of different cosmetic clinics, requesting lip fillers. The investigation revealed that 90% of practitioners did not ask for her age before booking her for the procedure, and none asked for her ID before offering a consultation.

Furthermore, it is impossible to talk about Instagram face without also mentioning the Kardashians and Jenners, and their role in pioneering and popularising it. With Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian being the 3rd and 5th most followed people on Instagram respectively, it isn’t surprising that most women consider them to be the paragon of modern beauty, making their images the most common references for surgeons when offering cosmetic procedures, by request of clients.

Interestingly, filters also play a large role in this sensation. Filters that enhance appearance by exaggerating and mimicking certain features, as discussed in regards to sexual dimorphism, are available on most social media platforms, and are becoming increasingly popular on Instagram, as people now have the option to create their own filters. This option has led to the creation and popularisation of many questionable filters, some of which proudly resemble the results of excessive plastic surgery, or even the process itself. It is important to note in addition that many surgeons have also reported clients bringing in pictures of themselves with filters applied to consultations.

This then calls into question Instagram’s response, or lack thereof, to this whole affair, as it seems as though Instagram is not entirely incentivised to take the steps needed to regulate and de-escalate the situation, and are presumably more willing to make a profit off it rather than acknowledge the detrimental effects it has on beauty standards.

Although the current state of social media suggests that Instagram face is here to stay, it is feasible that a solution lies within sincerity and representation. Sincerity in this sense means that when Influencers do alter their appearance, in whatever way it may be, they have a responsibility to be honest about it, especially if they have a large following, so as to not lead their audience into believing that this image is realistic, or achievable without cosmetic procedures, and thus diminishing the effects that this beauty standard can have on self-esteem. Moreover, representation is required in all spheres of media, although users of social media platforms such as Instagram particularly may greatly benefit from being exposed to a myriad of different faces that they are more likely to see themselves in, which could potentially increase confidence levels.

However cliché the message, we must all recognise the importance of detaching ourselves from social media, even temporarily, and assuring ourselves in the knowledge that not everything we see online is genuine or realistic, and that all the people we idolise and look up to are human beings with flaws too.

Rose Salib 12F