We’ve all become so obsessed with having the perfect image. But this is what we’ve lost

Here’s a hypothetical for you: would you want to become sublimely beautiful, famous and revered even if it meant never being able to comfortably leave your home? As much I don’t want to believe anyone would answer “hell yes” to this Faustian pact, I know some would, and I see evidence of it on a daily basis.

You see, I’ve been on deadline for the past few weeks, which means I’ve been doing anything but write. Instead, I’ve been thumbing down the mindless abyss of Instagram, watching trashy videos on YouTube, and scrutinising celebrity red carpets with maudlin curiosity.

While I’ve been wading through this putrid puddle, I’ve picked apart every open pore, sagging jowl, altered hairline, concave and curve of the celebrated for my enjoyment. And what an eye-opening insight into the screwed-up reality that is “In Real Life” it has been.

One of the first sites I discovered zoomed in on the faces of the parading beauties in direct, unfiltered light. And damn, it was alarming. This was not because I saw pimples, wrinkles and loose jawlines on stars who usually appear to have none of those issues. It was because I understood the extent to which these stars had manipulated the images they post of themselves, and how some simply don’t look like the same person, depending on the source.

One site my algorithm sent me to took things a step further, posting photos celebrities had uploaded in their “getting ready” online content, then comparing them with photos taken on the red carpet just hours later. In many cases, if it weren’t for the outfits they were wearing, I’d have believed it was two different people. Actually, make it one person and one avatar because the self-posted images were so manipulated they were virtually cartoons.

I had no idea it was the same person. The woman was at least six inches shorter, five kilos heavier and pleasantly average-looking,

WENDY SQUIRES

Obviously, this is not a new phenomenon, and celebrities have always controlled their brand and image. I remember watching a certain model – let’s call her Belle – demanding photographers show her the snaps they took of her at an event, then deleting the ones she didn’t find flattering.

As a magazine editor, I recall receiving a large-format transparency of a US celebrity that had been retouched so much it was practically a painting. And, I’m still taken aback when I arrive to interview someone famous and barely recognise them.

As for influencers, I saw someone I’ve followed for years at a gig recently and had no idea it was the same person. IRL, the woman was at least six inches shorter, five kilos heavier and, well, pleasantly average-looking, even with the obvious Botox forehead, plumped lips and tarantula lashes. Even more of a surprise was how uncomfortable she looked when the house lights came on, like a vampire about to be scorched by the sun’s rays. She couldn’t get out fast enough.

We all want to portray ourselves in our best light, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s human nature. But here’s a fact: highly filtered images and frozen faces erase true beauty, the quirks that make you different to everyone else, your unique sparkle from within. Today, the camera is not capturing appearance, it’s creating it.

It’s a chilling phenomenon and one I fear will not bode well for those who find themselves imprisoned in Photoshop. In fact, it reminds me of one of my favourite novels, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. (If you’re not familiar with this gothic masterpiece I say run, don’t walk, and grab a copy, or watch one of the many cinematic versions; its chilling message was never more prescient than right now.)

In the novel, published in 1891, Dorian is a cultured, wealthy and beautiful young man who fears his painted portrait will one day remind him of the attractiveness he’s lost over time. So he pledges his soul, but if only the painting bears the burdens of ageing, allowing him to stay young and gorgeous. As a result, Dorian becomes frozen in time while his portrait ages and rots.

I don’t think it is a plot spoiler to say that, eventually, Dorian can’t hide behind his picture any longer and has to face the truth of who he is. Because image is one thing, but authenticity is another. One fades with age while the other grows. And while a filter can make you like the way you look, it can’t change the way you feel.

So, beware the false façade. Because there is a difference between perfection and beauty – one is an impossibility, the other individuality.

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