ABSTRACT. The purpose of this study is to examine face-perfecting filters and filtered self-presentation in relation to physical appearance and attractiveness. In this article, I cumulate previous research findings indicating that beauty filters in terms of thin-ideal imagery articulate body image disturbance, social comparisons, and poor appearance satisfaction. I contribute to the literature on unattainable appearance ideals and body image concerns in visual social media by showing that augmented reality-based beauty apps configure body image concerns, negative distorted self-perceptions, low self-esteem and self-image, and body appearance dissatisfaction. Throughout May 2022, I performed a quantitative literature review of the Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest databases, with search terms including “image editing tools for visually appealing self-presentations” + “digitally mediated social presence,” “body dissatisfaction and shame,” and “ideal beauty standards.” As I inspected research published between 2019 and 2022, only 155 articles satisfied the eligibility criteria. By removing controversial findings, outcomes unsubstantiated by replication, too imprecise material, or having similar titles, I decided upon 21, generally empirical, sources. Data visualization tools: Dimensions (bibliometric mapping) and VOSviewer (layout algorithms). Reporting quality assessment tool: PRISMA. Methodological quality assessment tools include: AXIS, Dedoose, MMAT, and SRDR.

Keywords: image editing tool; visually appealing self-presentation; digitally mediated social presence; body dissatisfaction and shame; ideal beauty standard

How to cite: Popescu, L. (2022). “Image Editing Tools for Visually Appealing Self-Presentations: Digitally Mediated Social Presence, Body Dissatisfaction and Shame, and Ideal Beauty Standards,” Journal of Research in Gender Studies 12(2): 48–62. doi: 10.22381/JRGS12220223.

Received 26 June 2022 • Received in revised form 14 December 2022
Accepted 21 December 2022 • Available online 30 December 2022