Instagram account edits celebrities to look like influencers, and the internet has mixed feelings

Even the world’s most beautiful people are not safe from the Photoshop treatment

Meredith Clark

New York

Tuesday 08 February 2022 19:07 GMT

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Social media is a playground for filtered photos, and today’s influencer culture makes it hard to decipher between what’s real and what’s Photoshop.

Beauty standards for women are constantly changing, and now even the most stunning of celebrities can’t keep up. An Instagram account known as Goddess Women has gained over 377,000 followers for posting edited images of actors like Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie, and Dakota Johnson. Are these photos Insta-ready, or simply unrealistic?

In one post, Goddess Women shared a slideshow featuring an edited version of Jennifer Aniston in her role as Rachel on Friends. “She’s already beautiful, no need to use that filters,” one Instagram user commented. “Stop posting celebs with ultrafilters,” said another. “They are beautiful just the way they really are! It’s unhealthy.”

In another post shared to the account, Winona Ryder is seen holding hands with her former boyfriend Johnny Depp circa the 1990s. Only, it’s Ryder’s face that is edited, while Depp remains untouched and unfiltered.

In an interview with Bored Panda, the founder of Goddess Women said she understood why critics believe the account promotes unrealistic beauty standards, but suggested that it shouldn’t be taken too seriously. “I understand them, but they should know it’s just Photoshop, it’s art,” she said. The creator began the Instagram account in 2018 as a way to post edits for fun. “I think that people are obsessed to look perfect because of the followers and likes they get with their ‘perfection,’” she said. “It's sad, but you get a lot more attention on social media when you look good.”

This isn’t the first time Goddess Women has caused commotion on the internet. Back in 2021, Twitter users shared their distaste for the celebrity edits, saying it sets an unrealistic beauty standard for women who are already beautiful.

“We all have one enemy in common, and it is goddess.women on Instagram,” tweeted @cosmicsolace.

One Twitter user even likened the phenomenon to a Black Mirror episode, where all women share the same Photoshopped face.

The jury is out on whether accounts like these are harmful, or if they’re all in good fun. However, the internet can agree that these celebrity edit accounts spark a discussion on social media’s standard of beauty.