In a world full of selfies, we’re constantly trying to get our best angle in the perfect lighting. While we do a pretty good job on our own, it seems Samsung decided to give us a hand. But not everyone is happy about it.
Mel Wells, an author and blogger, noticed that every selfie she took with her new Samsung phone automatically airbrushed her face.
In order to prove it to her followers, Wells posted two selfies on Instagram that showed the difference between her naturally freckled face versus when it was airbrushed by her Samsung phone’s camera.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BG9O5qPTJs4/?taken-by=iammelwells
“Wow Samsung,” the photo caption read. “When you get a brand new phone and go to take a selfie and realise that the default setting on the front camera is automatically on ‘Beauty level 8’ which evidently means: seriously airbrushed face.”
Although the airbrush setting can be turned off manually, it was the fact that it’s the phone default front camera setting that upset Wells.
“This means everyone who gets a new Samsung phone and flicks the front camera on is automatically being told “Hi, we’re Samsung and we think you look way better when we automatically airbrush your selfies for you, x 8!!” the author and blogger wrote.
“Thanks @samsungmobile for the vote of confidence,” she continued. “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.”
In a second Instagram post, after being questioned by followers about turning off the setting, Wells wrote that her argument wasn’t simply about Samsung’s airbrush front camera setting. It’s about women loving themselves completely, regardless of their flaws.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHFPzkJghid/?taken-by=iammelwells
“Of course you can turn the setting off/on as you please,” Wells said in her second post. “I wanted to raise this point as I think it’s one thing for us the consumer to decide to edit our photo after it’s been taken, but it’s another thing for the manufacturer to do it for us before we’ve even taken the shot.”
Wells also made it clear that using Photoshop on a picture isn’t wrong, but people shouldn’t feel obligated to do so.
“The more we are told that we are supposed to look flawless, the more unhappy we will feel in our own skin – because none of us are flawless!” Wells said. “On the contrary – it is our imperfections that make us most beautiful.”
Mel Wells wants to make sure her followers and readers understand this. And it wouldn’t hurt if Samsung got the memo too.
