48% of Brits use selfie editing apps before posting to social media to "feel less self-conscious"
The pressure many feel to “look good” on social media is back in the spotlight after new research has revealed that almost 19 million Brits admit to editing their selfies to make others jealous.
Just under half (48%) are using selfie editing apps to “feel less self-conscious” and “enhance their best features”, found research from vision care experts Lenstore, while 44% edit their selfies to hide their perceived “imperfections” from others, including birthmarks and freckles.
This news isn’t surprising, as 55% of social media users have previously admitted to feeling self-conscious about showing off their natural skin.
It also seems that men are now feeling the pressure to look flawless on social media more than women, with more than half of men (52%) stating they can’t post a selfie without applying a filter compared to just 43% of women, the report found.
Additionally, 60% of men say they can’t post a photo without altering the shape of their face, compared to just 43% of women.
Top five reasons that Brits edit photos of themselves:
|
Rank |
Reasons Brits are editing their selfies |
Percentage |
|
1 |
To feel less self-conscious |
48% |
|
2 |
To feel better about ourselves |
48% |
|
3 |
To enhance our best features |
48% |
|
4 |
To appear more attractive to others |
46% |
|
5 |
To reflect how we see ourselves |
46% |
The edits Brits are most likely to make to their selfies include airbrushing their face (24%), whitening their teeth (22%), reshaping their face (21%) and using “slimming tools” to make themselves appear thinner (20%), the report found.
Just under a fifth (17%) also use blemish remover tools and 14% lip reshaping tools.
Many have also turned to more permanent measures to enhance their features, with 18% having undergone non-surgical aesthetic treatments such as botox and dermal fillers to provide a lasting change.
Top 10 UK cities spending the most time taking and editing selfies:
|
Rank |
City |
Time spent taking a selfie (minutes) |
Time spent editing a selfie (minutes) |
Total Time |
|
1 |
Southampton |
8.29 |
7.79 |
16 minutes and 5 seconds |
|
2 |
Sheffield |
6.66 |
8.22 |
14 minutes and 53 seconds |
|
3 |
Birmingham |
6.27 |
7.57 |
13 minutes and 50 seconds |
|
4 |
Manchester |
5.76 |
8.05 |
13 minutes and 49 seconds |
|
5 |
Plymouth |
6.63 |
7.10 |
13 minutes and 44 seconds |
|
6 |
London |
6.47 |
7.02 |
13 minutes and 30 seconds |
|
7 |
Liverpool |
5.59 |
7.27 |
12 minutes and 52 seconds |
|
8 |
Norwich |
5.23 |
6.79 |
12 minutes and 1 seconds |
|
9 |
Leeds |
5.6 |
6.30 |
11 minutes and 54 seconds |
|
10 |
Edinburgh |
4.76 |
6.92 |
11 minutes and 41 seconds |