The Getty Test Takes Off

This Fall a research study of 3,000 UK respondents revealed that 71% of people now edit pictures of themselves before posting, most commonly editing lips, skin imperfections, and jaw line. The most recent Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Statistics report separately reveals that specialized face procedures, such as brow lifts and face lifts, increased 54% in 2022. Point being, it's clear that culture has been focused on optimizing aesthetics, from touching up content to personal procedures. Even TikTok, often praised for being the more accessible alternative to the perfectionist nature of Instagram, recently rolled out the "Bold Glamour" filter: a filter that plumps lips, darkens eyebrows, highlights cheekbones, and whitens teeth (?!)

The pendulum has definitely swung, and so we can see now a few signals that hint at culture pushing back against living in this influencer-led trance that dictates how to look, what to wear, and what to consume:

DEINFLUENCING In February, “deinfluencing” became a new social buzzword, as content creators on TikTok began subverting the influence of influencers, by directing consumers on what not to buy: real reviews of influencer pushed products which were deemed to be ineffective or too expensive.

THE GETTY TEST And now this week, another term signaling the changing perspective on influencers emerged: the Getty Test. As shared by Lizzo, the Getty Test refers to when social users compare photos a known personality posts of themselves to paparazzi posts shared on Getty Images, to call out what has been Photoshopped or Facetuned.

These signals suggest a growing awareness of the idea that perhaps culture is too under the influence. While Gen Z was the generation that gave rise to the influencer, their pursuit of authenticity may also be the influencer's undoing.