A fitness influencer has been relentlessly bullied online for looking “super old” at age 25.
Social media star Summer Vennewitz is thought on TikTok for at all times being open and honest about how she looks.
As an alternative of hiding any insecurities with filters, the 25-year-old as a substitute decides to point out them off in an try and help normalize what “real faces” appear to be.
In a recent video, which has since racked up almost 8 million views, Summer highlighted what she looks like as a “female who has never gotten Botox, filler or lips.”
“Just thought perhaps someone needed to see this today,” she captioned the clip.
While it was meant to be a positive video, many within the comments were quick to shame her for “looking old” and sharing how scared they were to “get wrinkles like that.”
Others claimed she looked “no less than 20 years old” and pleaded together with her to “start using sunscreen.”
“I even have 0 crows feet and im (sic) 27 … please wear sunscreen” one said.
“You look 45.”
“I’m 36 and I don’t appear to be this,” one other said.
“I’m so sorry girl.”
“This isn’t normal,” one user wrote.
“If this were me I’d cry. Please use retinol girl and spf.”
Others rushed to praise her for being “real” and called out the flurry of backhanded compliments and blatant insults she received.
“This girl is attempting to do a pleasant thing and show those who you don’t should be ashamed of aging,” one wrote.
“And yet here persons are, shaming her.”
“Women within the comments being mean for no reason?” one other asked.
“Y’all have serious problems.”
Chatting with news.com.au, psychologist Carly Dober explained this kind of response has likely occurred attributable to each the rise of individuals using editing apps and filters before posting online, in addition to the recognition of anti-aging treatments comparable to Botox.
She explained this has heavily skewed the perception of what people truly appear to be out on this planet.
“I feel the recognition of wrinkle reduction and anti-aging treatments mean that many persons are engaging in beauty treatments that minimize wrinkles, so seeing them on social media is unusual,” she said.
“I feel people forget what normal aging looks like. It’s actually expected for people to have wrinkles once they move their faces, and for older people to have more of those wrinkles.
“But now we have been conditioned by the wonder and sweetness modification industry to see this as a negative or shameful thing.”
She said that the concept of aging is taken into account quite “taboo,” and there is a large deal with staying youthful as a substitute of embracing getting older.
“Normal aging is commonly shrouded in secrecy and really taboo within the West, and never many individuals, especially women, would show this attributable to feeling the necessity to perform staying ‘youthful,’” she said.
“Sometimes this may even be performed with the help of social media filters.
“People age in a different way attributable to a wide range of reasons including genetics and lifestyle aspects, and so when people show the variety in visible ageing signs, many individuals think concerning the limited examples of ageing they see.
“Much of which comes from the entertainment and sweetness industry, which is skewed.”
Dober also called out bullies who left mean comments on the video and added that it was essential for people to see what real ageing looks like, with none procedures.
“Many individuals will share their unkind opinions without fascinated by the potential impact this has on the one who created the content,” she said.
“I feel it’s essential for people to reveal themselves to pictures of ageing without intervention, because our views might be unrealistic.”
