A sponsored Instagram ad for photo-editing app, Facetune, has been deemed “messed up," “disgusting” and “terrible” for encouraging women to manipulate their faces for a “good selfie.”
The ad, which targets women under 25, shows a young woman shrink her nose, widen her eyes and whiten her teeth. The video caption encourages viewers to download the app and reads: "Ever wonder why your friends' selfies look so good?"
Some users revealed they were “offended” at being targeted by the ad, while others said they “hated” it.
Since Facetune’s launch in 2013, it has been downloaded more than 20 million times, with some people paying $5.99 per month to unlock all its features. A number of Instagram influencers and celebrities, including Khloe Kardashian, have also endorsed the app due to its ability to edit images by removing pimples, lines, pores and more.
Psychologists, however, have warned of its possible repercussions on impressionable young women.
According to an article by ABC News, a U.S. study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders confirmed that 91 per cent of teenagers on social media post selfies, and that those with high scores for editing their images were also associated with high scores for body and eating concerns.
To avoid further backlash, Facetune has turned off the option to comment on the ad.
