May is Mental Health Awareness Month,
the month where we raise consciousness
about mental health issues.
And the month where we thank our therapists
for giving us a fake name when they make fun of us
to their friends.
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic,
a lot of people are doing worse than ever,
because it turns out that the technology keeping us connected
is also making us feel like shit.
NEWSMAN: With the stress of the pandemic,
body image issues have been on the rise.
NEWSWOMAN: 43% of women, 26% of men said
COVID-19 negatively affected how attractive they felt.
The countless hours spent on Zoom or video calls
is causing more and more Americans
to be insecure about their appearance.
NEWSWOMAN 2: Video conferencing presents
a constant unedited, unfiltered look at ourselves
that can be unsettling.
And those front-facing cameras we're all using
aren't doing us any favors.
WOMAN: Things like the nose
could actually appear larger and wider,
and the eyes could appear smaller.
Not only is a person confronting their own reflection
with much greater intensity and frequency
than they ever have before
but they were staring at a distorted reflection.
NEWSWOMAN 2: This is all part of an alarming new trend
coined Zoom dysmorphia.
Yes, Zoom dysmorphia.
It's when you realize that it's not just everyone else
who looks terrible on Zoom.
And that's really not cool. You know,
Zoom shouldn't make you feel bad about your looks.
It should make you feel bad
about your dirty-ass living room.
But you have to remember, people,
this is a new phenomenon that we're dealing with.
Humans didn't evolve
to see their own faces all the time.
That's not normal.
I mean, except for twins, I guess.
They don't count. They're freaks.
Just, like, another one of you?
(scoffs) What?
Like, think about it. For most of human history,
if you wanted to know what you look like,
you had to get your friend to smash up some blueberry
and rub it on a cave wall.
"You look like this."
"Damn, do I really hold a spear like that?"
Now, the good news is that it's likely
we'll all be using Zoom a lot less in the near future.
But unfortunately, there's another technology
that also makes us feel bad about ourselves,
and it doesn't look like it's going away any time soon.
I'm talking about photo filters.
Yes. They've helped mankind
realize its dream of puking rainbows,
but some of the most popular filters
just help you look more attractive.
Which may sound harmless,
but it could be anything but.
Cutting-edge apps and social media filters
are allowing ordinary people to enhance their online photos
to impossible perfection.
In some cases, it's sparking a concerning phenomenon.
NEWSWOMAN: With apps like Facetune, you have the power
to completely transform yourself:
bigger eyes, skinnier nose and jawline.
NEWSWOMAN 2: Smaller butt or flatter belly,
whiter teeth, smoother skin--
you can do it right on your phone.
When I take a selfie, I always use filters.
I wish I could look like my filtered self in real life.
NEWSWOMAN 3: This obsession with personal appearance
that selfie culture encourages
may have darker implications for mental health.
NEWSMAN: A study
in the Journal of the American Medical Association
says filtered pictures can take a toll on self-esteem,
body image and even lead to body dysmorphic disorder.
I do feel like we're losing touch
with what reality looks like.
We're already getting there
to the point where we're expecting people
to look as unhuman as possible.
Yeah. Photo editing filters
set unrealistic expectations for beauty.
The same way Fruit Ninja sets up unrealistic expectations
of how easy it is to slice floating fruit.
(grunting)
Aah!
And once you have this filtered version
of yourself in your head, you become dissatisfied
with what you really look like.
So, in essence, we're basically catfishing ourselves.
But if these editing apps can turn adults
into quivering blobs of insecurity,
just imagine what they're doing to kids.
NEWSWOMAN: Psychologists warn these photo filters
can be particularly troubling for teens and young people
who are still developing their sense of self.
NEWSMAN: 80% of girls in one survey
say they compare the way they look
to other people on social media.
On Instagram, like, I follow people like Kendall Jenner
and Kylie Jenner, and they all have this, like,
time measure, like, body image that everyone is expecting
from this generation.
NEWSWOMAN 2: Young girls on social media
had a negative body perception,
with one in seven girls reporting
being unhappy with the way they look
at the end of elementary school.
And that number almost doubling to nearly one in three
by age 14.
WOMAN: 80% of young girls
are using photo retouching apps
to change the way they look before posting pictures.
NEWSWOMAN 3: And those with high scores
for manipulating their photos
were associated with high scores
for body-related and eating concerns.
Have any of you ever questioned your body
-because of what you see on social media? -Yeah. -Yeah.
Shame, man. This is a vicious cycle for teenagers.
Social media makes them unhappy with how they look,
so then they use filters,
which perpetuate the unrealistic expectations
for themselves and others.
Plus, they're teenagers, so they're doing all of this
while they're driving, which puts everyone at risk.
And all the insecurity this creates is harmful for teenagers
because, I know it's hard to tune all of this out,
but teens shouldn't be obsessing over this stuff.
Like, I honestly wish I could sit all teenagers down and say,
"Hey, don't worry about how you look.
"The planet's gonna die out before you're 30.
It doesn't matter."
Now, it's bad enough when people wish
they had the perfect Instagram look in real life.
What's worse is when they actually try to make it happen.
The more people look at doctored-up images,
the more likely they are to actually start seeking out
cosmetic procedures at younger ages.
These cosmetic procedures are becoming so popular with teens,
plastic surgeons have coined a new syndrome for it:
Snapchat dysmorphia.
NEWSWOMAN: And the number of kids getting nip/tucks
may astound you.
Kids as young as 13 are getting them.
MAN: Doctors seeing an influx of people of all ages
turning to plastic surgery to look more like their filter.
NEWSWOMAN 2: 62% of plastic surgeons
reported their patients wanted to go under the knife
because of dissatisfaction with their social media profile.
57% said their patients wanted to look better in selfies.
MAN 2: Absolutely. It's becoming more and more common
where people show me images on their Instagram
or even something they've posted on Facebook
and go, "This is really how I want to look."
Just last week, I had a patient come in
and ask me for more of an anime eye,
and she couldn't figure out why it's not possible.
Okay, man. This is really disturbing.
13-year-olds in particular
should not be getting plastic surgery.
I mean, when you're 13,
your physical appearance is already naturally changing.
That's what our faces are doing.
It's like long-term plastic surgery.
I mean, this is what I looked like when I was 13.
You got to let that shit play out.
Honestly, though, I don't blame the teenagers.
I blame the parents and the plastic surgeons.
I mean, how are you gonna let them do this to themselves?
They can't even buy cigarettes,
but you're gonna let them buy a new face?
Clearly, this is getting out of hand.
Which is why there's now a movement
not just against filters
but all the ways that people have been distorting reality
on social media.
NEWSWOMAN: Many influencers have started speaking up
on this issue, admitting that they've presented
altered images in the past
and are opening up the conversation.
Some are even posting raw, totally unedited photos
of themselves and breaking down how people
on your Instagram feed
may be manipulating their angles and lighting
to get that "perfect selfie."
WOMAN: There are many celebrities
exposing the dangers of digital distortion.
They are posting images
of themselves unedited, unfiltered online.
And this is a great example to young girls.
NEWSWOMAN 2: Pop star Lizzo made a big splash
when she posted a selfie in the nude
and unretouched.
There's-there's no shame anymore,
and I just kind of post myself.
Just like, you take me as I am. You gon' have to love me.
NEWSWOMAN 3: British MP Luke Evans has proposed
the Digitally Altered Body Image Bill,
which would require advertisers and publishers
to display a logo whenever a person's face or body
has been digitally enhanced.
Okay, first of all, I love the idea
of putting disclaimers on photos of people
who have been digitally altered. I love it.
And, honestly, I don't think we should stop there.
We need to do this for everything
that's been digitally altered, like food ads.
Those are the worst. Every fast-food burger
looks great on TV,
but then when I order it,
it looks like it fell asleep in a hot tub.
But I'm glad that we're finally learning the truth
about what celebrities look like.
You know, personally,
I'm waiting for SpongeBob to join this movement.
I mean, no way that guy's that square naturally.
Have you seen that? It's like he's not even...
What do you mean, he's not real?
Then how would he have a TV show?
Now, I'm not naive enough
to think that society's gonna stop creating
unrealistic beauty standards anytime soon, right?
But what I do hope is that we can better educate
our kids and ourselves
that our own natural bodies are beautiful.
I mean, except for that flap of old-people skin
we have on our elbows. Like, that shit is gross.
I don't care who you are.
It looks like a midarm ball sack.
But everything else is beautiful.
But because this movement could take a while,
we here at The Daily Show
decided to come up with a filter of our own that might help.
LYDIC: Are social media filters giving you body image issues?
Are you depressed you don't look as good as your filter?
Then good news.
You'll never have to worry
about living up to your filter again
with Rudify.
It's a brand-new filter
that turns your face into Rudy Giuliani.
You'll never be happier with how you look in real life.
And, obviously, this wouldn't be effective
if you could turn it off,
-so Rudify overrides all other filters. -(buzzing)
And-- just to be safe-- Rudify retroactively applies itself
to every face in every photo in your phone.
The best part is the filter is permanent.
Just like Rudy himself, you can never get rid of it.
(chuckles)
Rudify.
You'll be overflowing with self-esteem.
Warning: use of this filter by Rudy Giuliani will rupture
the fabric of space and time.