Have you ever asked the following age-old question—what will you look like when you are older? Well, the social media platform TikTok now has a so-called “aged” filter that is supposed to give you a possible glimpse. The filter uses AI—artificial intelligence and not Allen Iverson— to analyze the video of your face on TikTok and then add in real time different age-related changes. In fact, these real time changes can so closely fit the contour of one’s face that TikTokers have used the hashtag #agedfilter to remark how realistic the resulting video images have looked. Of course, without a time machine, your can’t really tell whether the aged filter is actually representing what you may look like in the future. Nevertheless, what’s been interesting is how people have reacted when faced with their potential, possible future faces.
For example, Kylie Jenner, the 25-year-old millionaire who starred in the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians and founded a cosmetics company, didn’t seem to like it—at least at first. How could you tell? Well, the tip off was that she posted a video of herself on TikTok trying the aged filter and reacting with, “I don’t like it.” And just in case you weren’t clear about her answer, she added, “I don’t like it at all. No. No.” Yeah, no, no is not a yay, yay:
As you can see, Jenner’s aged filter image didn’t exactly look dramatically different from her current image. It’s not as if she suddenly looked like Gandalf the Grey—not that Gandalf the Grey wouldn’t be attractive. No, the filter simply changed some of the contours and coloring on Jenner’s face. Jenner did backtrack a bit in TikTok comments section, though, adding,:“jk i love her she’s cute lol.”
Jenner’s 42-year-old half-sister Kim Kardashian kept up with this aged filter TikTok trend as well. She posted a video of herself getting a fill of the filter and commenting, “I looked gorgeous!” Then the West of the mother-daughter duo—her 10-year-old daughter North West—came in from one direction of the screen:
Even with the filter, West didn’t look too much North of 10, prompting Kardashian to remark, “You don’t look any older. How is that possible?” To that, North insisted, “No, I look older.”
When you are 10-years-old, you may actually want to look older. After all, being older allows you to do things like drive a car, vote, and run for U.S. President. But once you’ve turned 21, a lot of advertising and stuff in the entertainment industry can make it seem like you’ve only got a few good remaining years. People trying to sell you cosmetics, cosmetic surgery, and other items can make wrinkles and other age-related changes in skin seem like the browning of an avocado.
Therefore, it’s not terribly surprising that searching TikTok for #agedfilter revealed quite a few nervous if not panicked responses to what’s being seen with the aged filter. There have been plenty of people talking about how they will use Botox and other interventions to prevent what they’re seeing with the filter. Yes, folks, it looks like quite a few people are not exactly OK with aging.
Which brings us to the response that actress and comedian Amy Poehler provided on TikTok. She posted a video of her using the aged filter along with a simple caption, “May I be so lucky”:
Poehler followed up with the following comment on her TikTok post: “Aging a privilege.”
How’s that for a thick hummus spread of perspective on this whole #agedfilter thing? While a number of people seem to be fretting about how they may look when they get older, it’s certainly no guarantee that everyone will actually reach an older age. That may not seem to the case when you are in your teens or early adulthood and busy counting your “likes” on social media. But it becomes more and more apparent as you actually travel through the different ups and downs in life and learn to appreciate the opportunity to just keep living and experiencing life.
Plus, it’s not like you are no more than a piece of giant peach with arms and legs and go bad after just a short time. Aging brings experience, perspective, insight, and wisdom. And that stuff in and of itself should bring a different level of attractiveness.
As Deborah Heiser, Ph.D., an Applied Developmental Psychologist and a recognized expert on aging, explained, “We fear aging because we think of it as simply physical. With that comes decline in how fast we can run, the need to wear glasses, and wrinkles.” She continued with, “This is scary. What people don’t think about is how we have an emotional increase as we age. We become more deeply connected with others, have a better sense of who we are, and find ways to make a meaningful mark on the world. Aging is way more than just physical change.”
And ultimately, looks are subjective. What is considered attractive is really based on what you are exposed to everyday in movies, TV, social media, and advertising. In other words, what you value in looks and life may depend heavily on the filters that others are providing you.
Read the full article here
