Bold Glamor is all the rage on TikTok! Thanks to artificial intelligence, this new fashionable filter makes it possible to beautify your face in a natural way. And it is almost undetectable, to the point of becoming harmful to users…
Social networks offer a wide variety of filters, which are now completely part of their DNA. Adding bunny ears, freckles, pastels and makeup, or even face swapping… there’s something for everyone! They were popularized by Snapchat before being exported to Instagram stories and TikTok videos. Moreover, one in particular is making a lot of noise on the Chinese platform at the moment. This is the “Bold Glamour” filter, which transforms the face of the user – but especially of the user – into a “beautified” version according to completely subjective beauty standards. The hashtag #boldglamour currently has over 249 million views, with videos viewed at times over 4 million times.
Bold Glamor marks a real turning point in the creation of filters for social networks because, where most are erased when you put your hand on your face, Bold Glamor remains in place no matter how much you move. With its graphic quality and its fairly “natural” rendering, this makes it almost undetectable. And it’s all the more problematic that, with her plumped lips, her flawless complexion, her high cheekbones, her shining doe eyes and her impeccably drawn eyebrows, the image of false perfection à la Kim Kardiashian is likely to be. complex more than one, especially among young users…
Bold Glamour: a real revolution for social media filters
Usually, filters just add 3D images to the modeled face, which often results in “exaggerated” effects. These can warp or appear to slip when you put your hand in front of your face, as the 3D overlay then has trouble adhering to the layout on the face. With Bold Glamour, it is not so. The filter seems to become one with our real face, even when we turn our head, stretch the skin of our cheeks or pass our hand over it. How is it possible ?
According to Luke Hurd, an augmented reality consultant who has worked on Snapchat and Instagram filters interviewed by The Verge, TikTok has used artificial intelligence (AI). According to him, Bold Glamor uses GANs (or Generative Adversarial Network), which “oppose two competing neural networks in a fight to the death”. Here, it’s about the camera shot – the user’s face – and the style to apply. “Because it uses you, it then compares aspects of your face to a data set of images that start to match your cheeks, eyes, eyebrows, lips, etc.”, he explains. Eventually, the technology combines the two sets of images into one, resulting in a successful in-between.
Bold Glamour: an undetectable but harmful filter
In itself, the GAN has been around for several years, but until now it was reserved for specialized software – especially for deepfakes – which runs on a PC and requires certain technical skills. The real prowess of Bold Glamor is its accessibility, since it can be accessed by more than a billion people in seconds, without the need for any technical knowledge. Other filters on TikTok have a similar look, such as “Teenage Look”, which offers a rejuvenated version of the user’s face, or gender change effects on Snapchat. The difference is that Bold Glamor is less radical. “It’s just subtle enough to be yourself and be convincing”, notes Luke Hurd. As a result, filters may become increasingly difficult to detect, including on real-time video, which may impact users who fantasize about a “perfect” face they can never have. ..
On TikTok, the filter is almost undetectable if you don’t pay attention to the small mention “Bold Glamour” at the bottom left, even if it can radically modify the face of some users. These micro-adjustments can have harmful effects on mental well-being, fueling physical complexes and lack of self-confidence, especially in younger people. Gradually, insidiously, this can go so far as to generate dysmorphophobia, that is to say an obsession and excessive thoughts for an imaginary defect or a slight imperfection on one’s face or body. The person’s perception is completely out of proportion and the obsession can sometimes last several hours a day, which can lead to stress, anxiety, withdrawal and then social isolation – avoiding public places or only going out night to avoid being seen, for example – eating and obsessive disorders, even depression.
For those who would be tempted to test the result on them, everything obviously happens on the TikTok mobile application, on Android as on iOS. Here’s how to apply the Bold Glamor filter.
► Open the TikTok app, then tap the icon + Publish, at the bottom of the screen to access the video creation tools.
► Choose the front or rear camera so that you have the person to apply the filter to in front of the device. Just press the icon Flip top right.
► Tap the icon Effects, at the bottom left.
► The effects library is displayed in a pane at the bottom.
► Press magnifying glass iconin the horizontal bar at the top of the Effects Library to start a search.
► Type Bold Glamor and select the first result.
► The filter sits on your face. You just have to press the red button to film you. Be careful not to abuse it!
