Edited and Revised By Ariana Meyers
Huda Kattan has had enough of social media. Earlier this week – the Iraqi-American Beauty Influencer took to Instagram to speak out against social media’s portrayal of the ‘perfect body and perfect face’.
Her Instagram caption reads:
“There is NOTHING wrong with looking human!! Your ‘Before’ is beautiful!! I’ve been in this space for a long time and I’ve felt sooo much pressure myself to edit my pictures and to try to fit into this online idea of the perfect body. Let me tell you, there’s NO SUCH THING AS THE PERFECT BODY or the perfect face. You are beautiful in your own way, do what makes you feel happy and what makes you feel beautiful”.
Huda – who is the founder of Huda Beauty and Wishful Skin – is using her Instagram platform to inform her 47.8 million followers that they don’t need a filter or a face-tuning app to look beautiful. Huda’s remarks are a direct attack on the unattainable beauty standards set by social media – which have caused a whole generation of social media users to experience negative self-image and body issues.
Moreover, Huda points out that body and face tuning apps have huge consequences on people’s mental and physical health: for example, if someone posts an edited photo, then others online will compare their bodies or faces to that image – not realizing that what’s being shown is not real. This results in body dissatisfaction and feelings of worthlessness – with users buying into a false and toxic narrative of flawless perfection.
In an effort to practice what she preaches, Huda’s Wishful Skin brand focuses on social media campaigns that use images with no photoshop, no filters, and no makeup. By promoting real people with real flaws, Huda hopes to spread body positivity and self acceptance on social media. This refreshing approach helps consumers boost their confidence and become comfortable in their own skin.
In an interview with The National, Huda explains why she – in particular – feels responsible for promoting ‘real’ beauty:
“As somebody who is in the beauty industry, I have a huge responsibility to try to be honest, because the reality is that we post these pictures that look perfect – they are Photoshopped, they are Facetuned, we have so much make-up on. Is it right that this may create a feeling within people that they need to be more beautiful? Yeah, it might, and that’s why being honest is so important”.
From this, it is clear that Huda Kattan does not shy away from reality and wants to assist her fanbase in leading a healthy and happy journey towards self-love.