The toxic truth behind TikTok’s ‘Aged’ filter revealed
IF you have been on TikTok recently, you may have noticed celebrities looking a little different.
From Kylie Jenner to Courteney Cox, they have all been afflicted.
Overnight, their dark hair has turned grey, wrinkles have appeared on their forehead and their chins have sagged — all courtesy of the app’s new “aged” filter.
And they’re far from impressed.
TikTok’s filter, which uses AI to imagine what you’ll look like decades into the future, has been used more than 90million times.
Which perhaps tells you all you need to know about society’s obsession with ageing — or rather not ageing at any cost.
All users have to do is load the filter, hit record and film their often horrified reactions.
Facing a greying mane of hair and deep lines in her face, Kylie Jenner, the 26-year-old make-up mogul of the Kardashian clan, was not at all happy with what she saw.
“I don’t like it,” she huffed. “I don’t like it at all. No. No.”
What was she expecting?
Perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised by her reaction given she seemingly made her first forays into cosmetic surgery when she was barely out of her teens.
Her pal, model Hailey Bieber, 26, a self-styled skincare guru, said she found the filter “so weird”, adding: “I look exactly like my nana.”
Kylie’s half-sister, Kim Kardashian, 42, scoffed sarcastically that she looked “gorgeous” with the filter, before collapsing into a fit of giggles.
But Courteney Cox, 59 — who, let’s face it, is no stranger to an anti-ageing procedure — was visibly appalled.
Seeing her face with added wrinkles, she exclaimed: “Whoa!”
And when she asked how many years she had been aged by and was told two, she could not hide her shock, gasping: “Oh f***.
But it’s not just celebs who are getting involved.
TikTok is full of young, beautiful women recoiling in horror from the sight of their ageing faces.
“I’m 100 per cent not OK with this,” whined one, while another wrote: “About to cry.” One simply said: “Traumatised.”
These girls scream in disgust as if they are looking at a scene from a horror film, rather than the untweaked face of a woman over 50.
But this doesn’t surprise me. Most celebs over the age of 50 look as if they are in their 30s.
Take Jennifer Lopez, who has abs you could bounce pennies off and not a wrinkle in sight.
She looks far younger than her 54 years.
While many celebrate this, it sets the bar rather high, especially for the average British menopausal woman trying to hold down a job and a family.
Full disclosure: I’m no stranger to trying to turn back the clock when it comes to my appearance.
I’ve dabbled with a bit of Botox. My first time was about five years ago when I noticed a few wrinkles on my forehead creeping through.
I also felt my eyebrows were drooping over my eyelashes and it felt like they were touching each other.
I was doing it for me, not anyone else. It was more of a rejuvenation, if anything.
I had it done at my dental practice and was happy with the subtlety of it.
And then for purely financial reasons, I put it on hold.
Botox only lasts a couple of months, which I am happy about as it allows for some expression in the face.
I like to be able to move it, and still show who I am and that I’m not hiding my age.
‘Caught in a wind tunnel’
Who wants that “caught in a wind tunnel” look either? Subtlety is key.
I have to confess, I’ve tried to reinvigorate my locks too.
When I was younger I had lovely, thick and voluminous hair, especially while pregnant.
It was so glossy and easy to manage.
However, post-menopause I’ve never been able to enjoy a growth longer than to my shoulders.
I had this desire for my long, thicker mane back so I thought I’d try out extensions. I loved them, they gave me confidence and made me feel slimmer.
I was taking a step out of my comfort zone because I hated the thinning, fine strands of my hair.
But they are high maintenance. Plus they cause damage to my natural hair, and I don’t need any more of that.
They are not a very healthy alternative and I feel I have to give my hair a rest.
These days I have grown to accept I have lines, wrinkles and jowls and I experience new aches and pains in the morning.
I’ve been through the menopause and had HRT, but seriously, what’s with the chasing of youth and the inability to embrace getting older?
In doing so, what are we missing out on? And at what cost?
Ageing is a privilege and I now believe a face with wrinkles is the sign of a life well-lived — a life that offers wisdom, common sense, sincerity and wit.
I have three daughters and a son, who take pride in their appearance.
They have been taught by me that even if you’re not having the best of days, you can still make the best of yourself.
That said, there’s no escaping the fact that all this taps into one of the biggest forms of discrimination today: Ageism.
Kylie’s comments feed into this narrative, but then our society as a whole doesn’t respect the ageing or elderly.
And how come it’s predominantly women made to feel the brunt of this discrimination?
When men age, they’re silver foxes, whereas women are made to feel worthless, labelled “mutton dressed as lamb” if they dare to dress youthfully.
After having children, my eldest is now 25. I came to the realisation that I was getting older.
I began to feel much more confident — about how I looked and how I approached ageing.
But what if I could’ve visualised what I’d look like in the future?
Would I age like a decent bottle of wine?
Back then, there was no knowing — but now there’s an app that can show us.
Looking back, would I have lived my life any differently?
Would I have worried more or less about getting older? No, not at all.
It’s time to ditch these toxic, ageist filters and give ourselves a break.