When she found them, something seemed…off.
I was like, Oh, my skin’s a little pale and very smooth, Coleman recalls.
All the photos, she realized, had been edited to lighten her skin tone and erase her acne.
Courtesy of Sabrina Coleman
She discovered a photo her mother posted online in which her face and arms were digitally slimmed.
That was the first time [to my knowledge] she more drastically edited my body, she recalls.
It made me [think], Am I supposed to be doing something different?
Courtesy of Sabrina Coleman
It definitely created an onset of body [image] issues.
In other words, mothers who do this risk fostering insecurities in their childrenusually insecurities mothers have about themselves.
After all, in many cases the children arent the only ones in the pictures being edited.
Courtesy of Sabrina Coleman
A Facetune moms first target is often herself.
A child will start to believe there is something about them that needs to be fixed, Markey says.
Scrubbing away a red eye or errant strand of windblown hair seems harmless.
Courtesy of Sabrina Coleman
Even school portraits aresometimes retouchedto smooth out kids skin and whiten their teeth.
But where is the line?
That line, as Markey explains, depends on the editors intent.
Courtesy of Sabrina Coleman
We use the terminology adaptive appearance investment versus maladaptive appearance investment, she explains.
Examples would include over-exercising or undereating, for instance, or maintaining an unrealistic beauty routine.
For children looking to approach their parent about this behavior, Markey recommends starting with questions, not accusations.
Courtesy of Sabrina Coleman
A child could ask their mom why they are editing the image, she says.
They could ask what would be wrong with just leaving an image unedited.
When Caroline was 16, she did just that.
Courtesy of Sabrina Coleman
She brought her mother with her to therapy and told her how the editing made her feel.
She was mortified, Caroline recalls.
If you’re Facetuning yourself and your child, they may start to internalize it.
Courtesy of Sabrina Coleman
[They might believe] their parent feels they would look betterbebetterif they looked different.
In their mind they’re just fitting into those beauty standards, she says.
Which makes sense, because we [younger people] attempt to fit into America’s beauty standards.
Courtesy of Sabrina Coleman
She has not attempted to address the matter directly with her mom.
But some might find themselves in need of direct professional guidance.
Facetune moms are acting from the insecurities that plague them, too.
If almond moms beget Facetune moms, then a newer, even sneakier variant could be next.
