The days of hiding behind bunny ears and flower crown filters are officially over. At least, they are on dating apps. Canada-based company Plenty of Fish is leading the way by banning the use of photo filters on its app in a move to avoid ‘deception’.
“Sure, filters are fun, and they can even help you out when you’re not feeling like your freshest self – but do they belong on your dating profile? The short answer: No” the company stated in a blog post announcing the decision to ban them.
If you’re wondering how they came to the decision, the company announced that it recently carried out a 2,000-person survey and 70 per cent of singles said that they consider the use of face filters that heavily alter someone’s appearance as totally deceptive.
To add insult to injury, the company’s survey also revealed that “23 per cent of singles said their first thought when seeing a potential match with a face filter on their profile is that they’re insecure.” And the dog filter, popularised by Snapchat, was declared the worst offender. The flower crown ranked fourth-worst.
But most importantly, 52 per cent of those surveyed agreed that all face filters should be banned, hence Plenty of Fish’s decision to do so.
Plenty of Fish is the first to ban filters, but it’s not the first dating app to regulate photos shared on its profiles. Bumble banned shirtless bathroom selfies in 2016 and no longer allows photos of bikinis or swimwear indoors in a move to discourage thirst traps.
