Live Life Unfiltered: Seeing a world with #NoFilter

[box type="note" align="aligncenter" class="" width=""] Note to reader: I've known Ioana through social media for over a year now. Funny enough, we've never met in person. We've exchanged many an email, Facebook message and Tweet, but never a 1-on-1 personal (in real life) interaction. This isn't new though - many of our relationships today are based on 'what we see' and 'what we read' via social media. Where do the filters get applied? How do we know? All interesting questions and ideas brought to light by the following post. What's your take on living a No Filter life?[/box]

"I bought a new pair of dance capris!"

"Awesome send me a pic!"

Snap snap.

I took a few pictures, and began sending them to my friend Carol. The first picture I sent as is. The next one – however – I decided to have a little fun. I added a filter - a bit of color and some tweaking and quickly realized: dang the ‘filter’ one looks so different! I look like I've just been to the beach! I have more color in my face, I'm almost glowing! In real life, I wasn't anything like that - see how anyone looks after teaching a long, sweaty class after a sleepless night up with a sick child the previous night...

#Filtered, I was.

I made a comment to Carol after I sent the pictures that the filter is amazing and how great it would be to walk around with a filter! But would it?



Since I made that comment it's really made me think about filters and how the media for decades has 'filtered '- or in other words "photo-shopping" - editorials. Intellectually, we know this. And now with our 'smart' (I use the term loosely as I feel dummed down by my phone much of the time) we now have the means to be our own high-fashion magazine (producer, director, editor and critic). Oh oh! *insert dramatic music here*

Life #UnFiltered

I recently got a new phone.

For years I had phones with no fancy photography options, so filters were not even an option and I always wondered why my friends' social media posts were so ...ummm...vibrant. With my new phone it's like I've fallen down the rabbit hole to Wonderland! The possibilities are endless!

‘Mono’ – ‘chrome’ – ‘transfer’ – ‘tilt shift’ -- so many to choose!

By the time I'm done editing pictures I sometimes barely recognize them as my own!

This is awesome right? Right? Is it awesome? I wonder.

I wonder if this just feeds into our narcissistic self scrutinizing image obsessed culture.

I wonder if this affects how comfortable we are when meeting people face to face for the first time. Those 'friends' we know only through avatars and status updates... now forced to experience the raw, real us with #NoFilter.

I have experienced situations where I have met someone for the first time who I've only known as a ‘profile picture’ and find myself very confused as they look absolutely nothing like they do online. I'm sure I have been on the receiving end of that scenario too.

I was reading an article the other day about the most popular hash-tags on Instagram and what people are drawn to. Interestingly enough one of the most popular was #NoFilter. Even more interesting was the article went on to state that a lot of the time the #NoFilter pictures were actually filtered. Huh?!

I received an email advertising a sale on arm shapers. Think spanx for the arm. I thought it was a joke, but sure enough it was not.

Spanx, make up, plastic surgery, tattoos, eye lash extensions, hair dye, Botox, fillers, lipo, veneers, implants, lash extensions , brow implants,  laser, tanning... and the list goes on.

How did we get here?

Seeing ourselves through the #NoFilter lense

I saw a present-day photo of actress Sharon Stone and I found myself staring at it. I was mesmerized. Something was different? Bingo! She has wrinkles and grey hair! *Gasp* That's like a 21st century Hollywood faux-pas isn't it?! But that's not the only reason I was staring, I stared because I marveled at her beauty.

Her wrinkles spoke of experience.

Her grey hair told a story.

Her skin falling closer to the earth made me feel she was more grounded.

She appeared real.

She is stunning.

I'm not saying we need to all immediately dispose of our eye liner and lash curlers (I love my eye lash curler) , but maybe we should just be a bit more naked or at least practice that every so often. At the end of the day I believe filters enable filters. Maybe a little more real and a little less of our photo-shopped selves. And in doing so we can show kids that it's OK to have a zit, messy hair, grey hair, wrinkles, stretch marks, scars or cellulite.

It’s OK if when we sit down there's a roll on our belly or when we look down we get a double chin.

It's OK to be real and be comfortable with ourselves at all angles.

And then maybe - just maybe - we can start a new fashion trend and bring in ‘Generation #NoFilter’.

[divider style="solid" top="10" bottom="10"]

Author bio:

Ioana is a wife and a mom of three girls who she refers to as her inspiration. She is the founder and creator of KELANI International, a Polynesian inspired 'holistic' movement. Ioana is a Kelani dance instructor, Pilates instructor, holistic nutritionist and wellness speaker. She is also a passionate advocate of eating disorder awareness, self-love and positive body image, especially in the youth.

Keep the conversation going and connect with Ioana online at  Kelani World online , or on her social channels at  Facebook , Twitter and Instagram