How long do you spend perfecting your selfie?
Taking a selfie and using the first shot has got to be unheard of really, but have you ever wondered how much time you actually spend perfecting the picture?
Research unveiled today shows that the average British woman will spend a whole month of her life – or 753 hours - taking, deleting, retaking, applying filters and retouching the perfect Selfies.
The study, conducted by The Body Shop to launch new All-In-One™ Instablur™, found that the top five tricks women use to make themselves look their best, in Selfies, or on social media profile pictures, are:
1) Choosing soft or moody lighting
2) Shooting from a downward angle
3) Adopting a ‘slimming’ body pose
4) Applying smartphone filters
5) ‘Smizing’ or smiling with our eyes, as advocated by supermodel Tyra Banks
But this all differs from city-to-city. Cardiff have been unveiled as the place where women are most likely to apply filters - 56% against a national average of 37%.
Women from Southampton are most likely to adopt a ‘Duck Lips’ exaggerated pout (20%, against a national average of 15%) and 63% of women from Newcastle opt for flattering lighting (national average 51%).
A quarter of women confessed that they would never upload a photo of themselves online without resorting to at least one of these quick fix tricks first.
The Selfie capital of the UK was revealed as Belfast, where over 84% of respondents take at least one per week. This was closely followed by Birmingham and Newcastle. In contrast, women from Cornwall are least likely to post Selfies, with only 54% doing so each week.
With the rise of online dating apps, such as Tinder and LinkedUp, it seems that the pressure for women to aspire to perfection on social media platforms has never been higher. Almost two thirds of the 1,400 women, aged 18-30, questioned said that they felt the increasing popularity of dating sites and apps has also intensified the pressure to look good online.
In fact, single men, take heed: 71% of women admit they would be seriously put off if a prospective beau looked nothing like their dating profile picture on a first date.
Sam Thomson, UK Values & Marketing Director, The Body Shop, commented: “It’s clear that the rise in popularity of selfies has really ramped up the pressure for us to make that all-important first impression online. However, The Body Shop has always been committed to activating self-esteem and we are passionate about giving women the tools to feel more confident in their skin.”
Tagged in Selfie