“The social ramifications of this are potentially problematic depending on perception,” says Rutledge. Some trans people, however, have criticized the filters for making light of transitioning or promoting an unrealistic standard of beauty that could cause further dysphoria. “It makes me look how I’ve always wanted to look,” says another. “I’m, and honestly it made me cry a little? I hope it’s at least vaguely accurate cause I high-key look hot?” says one Reddit user. Some trans people report feelings of validation in their gender identity.
“Humans are more likely to be attracted to things we know, so filters of our friends would also have the increased appeal of recognition.”įor the trans community, the experience of seeing Snapchat’s idealized feminine or masculine version of you can be more profound. “Frequency increases likability,” says Rutledge. Moreover, we’re simply wired to be attracted to the people we see frequently.
It also makes our friends look hotter, which in turn provokes a strange cocktail of emotions. So the filter isn’t necessarily an exact portrayal of a differently gendered self. “It appears that the gender-swap filter makes features more symmetrical, smoothes out imperfections and uses current norms of fashion,” she explains. So what is it about the gender-flip filter we find so hot, anyway?Īccording to Pamela Rutledge of the Media Psychology Research Center in Newport Beach, California, part of our attraction to the filter stems from the fact that it was designed to mimic norms of beauty. I met this cute girl on tinder and I slid into her DMs and we clicked, we talked for a week and it’s like we’ve known each other for a lifetime… yo turns out I was played by my homie using a snapchat filter Keep the filter on homie im coming over ?? (I DM-ed YaBoiAwesomeGuy, who admitted he doesn’t actually know of anyone masturbating to the photos - but his friends all say they’re attracted to them.) “If you like it then I cannot judge,” the top commenter replied. “ Fellas, is it gay to jerk off to yourself with that new Snapchat filter?” a user named u/YaBoiAwesomeGuy joked. Others questioned what their attraction means. One dude even told Reddit about how he got caught jacking off to his. When the filter was released, my social feeds were clogged with dudes talking about how hot they were with long hair and a feminized face. Guys seem to be having the same reaction to their gender swap - though maybe a bit more extreme. Instead, the masculine filter had me ready to risk it all for the scruffy, sculptural Adonis I became. Usually Snapchat makes me look cartoonishly adorable. Snapchat’s “man” and “woman” filters are frighteningly effective, and they went frighteningly viral - causing the Instagram converts I know to re-download the app. Point is, as cute as those Snapchat filters may be, the signifier doesn’t often align with what’s signified.Ī new set of filters has disrupted this trend, though: the gender swap. The devil filter makes me look not quite evil, but like I wanna be Megan Fox in Jennifer’s Body (and let’s be real, I do). The big mouth filter is supposed to be funny and cute, but I look like I’m about to ask to speak to the manager. The dog Snapchat filter makes me look like a hoe, not a puppy.