In the 13 years of Instagram, filters have gotten more clever and interesting year by year.

Before we had stories, we just had grid posts with the classic filters including Lo-fi, Juno, Ludwig and Lark. Nowadays, there are thousands of filters to choose from, some can be funny and some can even change the look of your face.

However, one Dubai-based entrepreneur and influencer has pointed out the damage this can do.

Posting a two-minute video to her 260,000 followers, Tracy Harmoush showcased just how different filters can make you look in an instant, which also gives a warped sense of reality.

Screen-recording herself, Harmoush went between a variety of different filters available on the Instagram story function showing how they change her face.

The investment banker turned entrepreneur explained that most of the filters she used she has seen others use, which prompted her to try them out. However, she said using them is “like a dagger to the heart”.

“It comes to show no matter how old you are, no matter how confident you are, no matter how secure you are with the way you look, these filters will make you feel a little bit less confident than you were prior to using them,” she candidly said.

She said using one of the available filters for two weeks straight it would be extremely hard to come back just as herself with no filter.

“It’s a dangerous game we’re playing here social media – it’s very dangerous,” Harmoush said ending her video.

In the caption of her video, Harmoush reminded everyone to “trek cautiously” when using social media platforms.

“Let’s not bring newly found insecurities to our doorstep,” she said. “We’re already trying to dodge the ones the world already throws at us like the matrix.”

She reminded her followers just to have fun with social media and put an emphasis on using filters “from time to time”.

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Images: Tracy Harmoush Instagram