Instagram influencer slams Samsung for default airbrushing lens
An influential beauty blogger is slamming Samsung for an airbrushing filter lens, mirroring a similar outrage that recently embroiled Snapchat.
In this instance, Mel Wells posted a before-and-after selfie to her 20,000 Instagram followers showing a default lens, called “Beauty Level 8,” on her new Samsung Galaxy phone that wiped out her blemishes and whitened her skin.
She blasted the changes to her face, writing “Hi, we’re Samsung and we think you look way better when we automatically airbrush your selfies for you, x 8!! Thanks Samsung Mobile for the vote of confidence, I think I’ll keep my freckles and imperfections since this is how I look in 3D and this is how all my friends see me in real life.”
The picture’s 1,500 comments drew a mixed reaction, some supporting her and others saying her anger is misguided and should be directed at society’s beauty standards. Several people asked if this a covert ad for Apple iPhone (probably not).
“Some people enjoy it, some people don’t. Let’s make an Instagram post about how I didn’t just turn it off, and decided to kick up a fuss,” a comment read. Another commenter wrote “Many women are using makeup, photoshop, filters etc. to alter the way they look in photos, so I don’t see the problem with this setting either, if you don’t like it you can just quietly turn it off.”
Wells responded to the complaints clarifying that her outrage was triggered over Samsung’s assumption that the “consumer wants to be airbrushed.” Samsung didn’t immediately reply for comment.
A similar whitening lens, called the “pretty filter” by users, caught ire among the Snapchat community last month. However, the app doesn’t appear to be angered because the lens is still available to use.
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