Just when you thought selfies couldn't possibly get any worse, a new app called Skineepix has entered the picture (literally). As the name implies, Skineepix makes selfie takers look thinner by shaving five to 15 pounds off their face when applied. Well … so much for positive body image.
Read more ¿Qué más?: SEE: The new teen selfie trend is worse than anything before
Apparently, creators Susan Green and Robin J. Phillips came up with the app after the two women took a vacation with friends last summer and were left unhappy with all of the selfies taken during the trip. So they teamed up to form the company Pretty Smart Women and came up with SkineePix, which allows users to doctor photos to remove any pounds.
OK two things: if you're on vacation and your main concern is how you look in selfies, then you're definitely not doing it right. And, secondly, hasn't Photoshop taken over enough of our world? Now we need it in our selfies too?!
The app basically allows users to doctor the photos and remove unwanted pounds. They capped it at 15 pounds on purpose, rationalizing with that old phrase, "The camera always adds 10 to 15 pounds." Green also says people can use the app as motivation to get in shape, as she does. "It's not that I don't like how I look, I just need to be healthy," she told the L.A. Times.
Am I the only one who is confused here? I mean, we all have parts of ourselves we would like to change, but how is creating an app solely for that purpose–instead of, you know, actually exercising and losing the weight the right way–helping her or anyone be healthy? To me, it seems like it's doing the exact opposite as it's pretty much reinforcing that same "the thinner, the better" beauty standard we already see all too often.
Plus, aren't selfies already getting more than a little out of control? Maybe at one time, they were just silly and goofy photos people take with their friends. But now it's getting kind of crazy. As if #Selfies with Homeless People weren't bad enough, we also just heard of that one teen who said his selfie addiction almost killed him! Imagine if he had had this app in his hands. It would've only led him down a more destructive path.
In any case, the app, which is currently only available for the iPhone but will soon be open to Android users, certainly won't help the crazy selfie trend … which is kind of unfortunate, because at this point, I think most people would like to see it end.
Image via SkineePix
