For a split second, the illusion disappeared. A beauty influencer in China reportedly lost 140,000 followers after her filter glitched mid-livestream and revealed her natural face.
The clip, which likely originated on China’s TikTok-equivalent Douyin, spread quickly across social media, although the woman's username and social media weren't disclosed.
What reportedly happened during the livestream
According to the viral footage, the unnamed influencer filmed herself dancing for the camera. At first, she appeared with a porcelain complexion and uncanny valley-level symmetrical features on a too-small head. The filter dropped, revealing a much more natural appearance and warmer skin tone. Shortly after, the filter returned and restored the stylized look and flipped back and forth between the two looks.
Folks on social media claimed the creator lost 140,000 followers, though no platform data publicly confirmed the number. Many surmised that the recording came from the Chinese TikTok equivalent app, Douyin.
While some accused the alleged influencer of deception, others rejected that framing, questioning instead why filters carry so much weight in the first place and why women feel the need to use them.
How viewers reacted to the filter glitch
As the clip circulated, many users defended the influencer and criticized filter culture. @_vexelius_ wrote on Threads, "The irony is that she actually looks better without the filter..."
@doch_schon_irgendwie added, "She is actually very beautiful and that's a good proof how society and beauty standards can manipulate us in to believing we have to look a certain way to be accepted. We should stop that."
Others pushed the conversation toward tech accountability. "This needs to be a much bigger conversation about the duty tech companies have and their role in degrading users' mental health," @0utfit__repeater wrote.
"If a filter glitch can cost someone 140k followers, that’s not about her — it’s about a system that rewards distortion and punishes humanity. This isn’t a scandal. It’s infrastructure."
Some commenters pointed to cultural pressure. @beautyfromashes33 wrote, "These people saying 'she's tricking people so she's bad' clearly don't understand the horrible insecurities asian societies push on women and the beauty standards that drive them to fake how they look online […] She's beautiful without it."
@water5all shared, "You know d*mn well that was mostly men unfollowing […] Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise."
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