A new fad has swept through social media applications thanks to an Instagram filter that mimics the results of cosmetic surgery.
Videos of people using the filter on themselves—and their pets—have been shared on Twitter and TikTok in recent days, while the face-changing effect was first seen on Instagram by J. Augusto (@jhonyaugust), a filter content developer.
The “Pillow Face” filter imitates the effects of plastic surgery or botox, with ultra-smooth skin, expanded cheeks, and puffed-up lips.
It went viral over the weekend after singers Charli XCX and Hayley Williams, as well as Game of Thrones actor Sophie Turner, posted it on Instagram. Users shared the outcomes of a challenge with their family members.
Users are posting before and after photos of the filter on Instagram, and the hashtag #pillowface has been used in over 16,846 posts as of this writing. #pillowface has received over 966,000 views on TikTok, where people re-upload the results.
It is….horrible! pic.twitter.com/P9q3SSYXG9
— Coco Lowery (@CocoLow17) March 29, 2021
The craze has moved to Twitter, with at least one person displaying the filter on a pet cat and others joking or commenting on the photographs created with it.
The pillow face filter worked on my cat and I’m dying pic.twitter.com/ArFp0ja4gq
— Julia Wilde (@Julia_SCI) March 26, 2021
How to try the Pillow Botox Face filter on Instagram
Follow these steps to try out the filter:
- Open the Instagram app and go to the upper left corner to “Your Story.”
- Slide through the filters until you reach the search option at the bottom, then hit it.
- To search for effects, tap the magnifying glass in the top right corner.
- In the search bar, type “Pillow Face.”
- The filter (provided by @jhonyaugust) should appear first.
- Tap “try it” in the bottom left corner after selecting the filter.
Related: How does the Catfish Filter work on Snapchat and Instagram?
How to use TikTok’s Pillow Botox Face filter
Although the original app isn’t immediately available through the TikTok app, you may still publish the findings on your account. Users can use the “Pillow Face” filter on Instagram to capture a video of themselves, then submit the film to TikTok.
- Go to Instagram and search for filter > Change the camera to selfie mode.
- To record a video, hold down the circle button.
- Using the Down arrow button on the top menu, download the video to your device.
- Open the TikTok application > Select Upload > Choose a video > Continue by pressing the next button.
- Add a caption and any relevant hashtags after you’ve cut the video to the desired length.
Related: “Boom Boom” Challenge on TikTok Is Pretty NSFW – Here’s What To Know!
Sharing the video to other social media apps or platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, follows the same procedure. Alternatively, you can just do it for fun.