The use of Photoshop and filters became a hot topic last week when former EastEnders star Melissa Suffield uploaded candid, raw, unedited photos of her post-baby body. Melissa – who played Lucy Beale in the soap – had her son River last year, and to celebrate one year of breast-feeding him, she stripped down to her underwear and confidently laid her pregnancy stretch marks and post-baby tummy bare. The 28-year-old wrote, “Finishing breastfeeding after a year, I’m like OH HEY BODY, WELCOME BACK. It feels good to know I can start to concentrate on myself again, and take back some ownership after pregnancy and pumping.”
Fans applauded her for her honest post. One wrote, “It’s nice to see a natural girl without any filters”.
Meanwhile, former TOWIE star Lauren Goodger, 34, was faced with backlash after fans noted how different she looked in posed pictures from her baby gender reveal when compared to her video appearance from the same shoot. One fan wrote, “Looks like two different people, why does she edit so much,” and another said, “The photos are not the same as her on film.”
Photoshopping and its impact on body image has been a growing concern with the increased popularity of social media, and statistics released by Mental Health Foundation with YouGov in 2019 claimed that just over one in five adults (22%) and 40% of teenagers said images on social media caused them to worry about their body image.
Here, Closer talks to both Melissa and Lauren about their views on the digital craze…
Pregnant Lauren Goodger: ‘People have to calm down – it’s our choice to use filters’
Filters were invented for a little bit of fun. Who doesn’t like to look good in a picture? I feel like the use of filters is taken so seriously when it really doesn’t need to be.
They are there to change up your look. I try to keep my pictures as real as possible, but I do have a bit of fun with it. I think it’s OK, as long as people are not making themselves look completely different.
“When you see adverts or billboards with celebrities advertising shampoo, for example, with their hair blow-dried and looking perfect, they’ve obviously had work done or touch-ups to make them look better. It’s the way it is. People have to calm down and stop targeting people just because they’re using filters; it’s their choice as to whether or not they use them.
“It’s not even always about bodies and faces. We all show the best sides of life on social media, so why not make things look a little prettier? When I’m doing something I’m happy with or proud of – like having my nails done or getting my house spotlessly clean – I’ll put a filter on my pics and add some sparkles. I even put filters on my food! It’s not always about us, our bodies and our faces.
“I think it’s completely fine to use filters if it’s light-hearted, a bit of fun and makes you feel good – it’s totally your choice. Maybe not so much that you’re unrecognisable or that you use them all the time, but as long as you’re comfortable with who you are in real life and don’t get carried away, that’s all that matters.”
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EastEnders' Melissa Suffield: ‘Faking your looks is damaging’
I first started to notice Instagram filters when I was taking pictures of my baby River and they automatically gave him more defined eyebrows. I remember thinking how ridiculous it looked, but you can add anything you want now, such as full make-up or a slimmer nose. Let’s face it, no one looks perfect all the time and it’s damaging to constantly be faking your looks.
“Friends look at pictures of filtered celebs and say to me, ‘But I don’t look like that!’ And I respond, saying, ‘No one looks like that. It’s a computer-generated image!’ You have a responsibility to yourself not to constantly touch up imperfections and stay authentic, otherwise people are constantly striving for something that isn’t even real. My mantra is no filter, no judgement, no bullsh*t!
“I’ve got so many stretchmarks after having River, I can’t even hide them! And I don’t want to, because so many people have scars and cellulite and that shouldn’t be a taboo. I don’t want my son to grow up having an unrealistic view of what women look like. I’m celebrating my natural body because it gave me River; shifting 10lbs to be the ‘perfect’ size 10 isn’t a priority.
“Another potential hazard from celebs posting heavily filtered pics is encouraging fans to experiment with cosmetic tweaks to achieve ‘perfection’. We’re blasted with images of what is ideal from big lips to a huge bum – but these are passing fads. While we can be fickle with our clothes and make-up, making serious changes to your body is not only dangerous, it can damage you mentally.
“When I see trolls criticising my body, I just think, ‘Go f--k yourself!’ I pity them as they must have really sad lives. Everyone is on their own personal journey and it’s important to learn to embrace your flaws and feel comfortable in your own skin; you don’t need to pretend to be a fake digital model!”
Melissa used the Medela’s Swing Maxi Flex™ double pump.