- Kylie Jenner and Hailey Bieber are among a growing number of TikTokers using the viral "Aged" filter.
- Many are shocked by what they look like with wrinkles, while others have embraced it.
A TikTok filter that purports to show people what they'll look like when they get older is causing some to panic about aging, while others are questioning people's misguided notions about beauty.
The "Aged" filter has been used in over 10.2 million videos, and many of them show young-looking people using the filter to make jokes about how they need to improve their skincare routine or wear more sunscreen.
But not everyone is amused, and as it's blown up online, it's also made people question their own views on aging.
@haleyybaylee I’m never going anywhere withoit sunscreen again
♬ original sound - haleyybaylee
The filter has drawn particular attention since it's been used by celebrities
On July 10, Kylie Jenner posted a video of herself using the filter on TikTok. Jenner shakes her head as she looks at an artificially aged version of herself with wrinkles on her face and says, "I don't like it. I don't like it at all. No. No."
The video has over 109 million views and hundreds of comments reassuring Jenner that she looks "beautiful" and "pretty."
@kyliejenner ♬ original sound - Kylie Jenner
A few days later on July 13, Hailey Bieber also posted a video of herself using the filter, but had a different take on it.
"I look exactly like my nana. This is so weird," she said, smiling into the camera. "I love it." The video received 3.3 million views and a similar flood of responses from people telling her how great she looked with the filter on.
@haileybieber Its giving my Nana’s twin
♬ original sound - Hailey Bieber
The filter is causing people to question their prejudices about aging
Many of the videos using the filter show people appearing shocked or distressed at the artificial image of what they might look like a few decades down the line, which has gotten some viewers thinking.
TikTok user @baby_misery posted a video addressing these posts, and referring to the attitude as "ageism." In the video description, she wrote, "Do you guys just look at your moms, aunties, and grandmas with disgust?"
@baby_misery Do you guys just look at your moms, aunties, and grandmas with disgust? #age #aging ♬ The Bug Collector - Haley Heynderickx
Dr. Joyce Park, a dermatologist who goes by the username @teawithmd posted a video titled "Breaking down the AGED filter." In the video, which has over 11.3 million views, she said she believed the filter is a "pretty realistic" representation of "how your skin and your facial structure changes as you age."
She said that as people age, they tend to develop certain traits such as fixed wrinkles, sagging skin, thinner lips, eye bags, and hyperpigmentation.
One viewer commented that the video made them realize they had their own age biases because they perceived Park as "really intelligent" and "wise" when they were using the filter, and less intelligent when they removed it.
@teawithmd Breaking it all down! #aging is not bad OBVIOUSLY but taking steps to preserve your skin health is NECESSARY. Genes account for a lot too. #agingwell #agingup #aginggracefully #agingwell #agingskin #dermbypark ♬ vampire - Olivia Rodrigo
One user who went viral using the filter said the comments showed people's discomfort with aging
Kinsi, a 35-year-old TikTok user who prefers not to disclose her last name, posted a video on July 9 using the filter.
In it, she said she thought the "meanest" thing about the filter is that it "takes things that are actually there on your face," and "predicts how much worse they're gonna get."
Kinsi told Insider that there were a "fair share of commenters who were upset" with this comment, such as one viewer who goes by the username @luckyjuly7, who questioned why it was "mean" to make people look older. "Is being older so undesirable?" they asked.
Kinsi said that others had perceived her to be picking on herself "or maybe subliminally, them," in the video, but the response also showed a negative attitude towards aging.
"Almost as many commenters suggested 'solutions' for my age spot," she said, referring to a small, slightly darker patch of skin on her face that had been exaggerated by the filter.
@animakinsi This filter said, “Lemme emphasize.” #agingfilter ♬ girls like me don't cry (sped up) - thuy
Social attitudes toward aging are complex
A 2021 report from the United Nations said that one in every two people in the world are believed to hold ageist attitudes, which can lead to stereotyping both younger and older people. For older people in particular, ageism can lead to a host of disadvantages, ranging from the workplace to medical care, the American Psychological Association reported in March.
The appearance of aging in particular is often seen as negative, leading to a whole industry building around anti-aging which was worth $62.6 billion in 2021, according to Statista.
Kinsi said that she thinks some people have reacted negatively to the filter because they don't like being reminded that they too will age. However, she also acknowledged the benefits of aging and said that as she has gotten older, she feels that she knows herself better than ever before, noting that her video showed her in a light that others may deem vulnerable.
She told Insider, "I feel safe talking about my flaws and showing my face without makeup on social media because a lot of insecurity can melt away with age and with time, given the right circumstances."