‘I’m a beauty editor. I tried TikTok's 'age filter' and I realised I was lying to myself.’

In case you're not slinking around the streets of TikTok, there's a new thing that's trending and we need to talk about it. It's called the 'age filter' — basically a really realistic filter that makes you look like an older version of yourself.

If you feel like this isn't really a new thing, that's because you might remember Snapchat came out with an ageing filter a while back. But this one is a little different. With all the recent (terrifying) developments in AI, this new TikTok version looks (and feels) far more realistic than similar filters we've seen in the past.

Now, even if you're not on TikTok, chances are you've seen and heard people sharing their thoughts and their feelings about getting a glimpse into what they'll look like in the future. 

People are posting their aged faces on social media, and sharing videos of them talking with their new (old) face, pointing out the prominent wrinkles, age spots and grey hair, etc. etc.

Watch: Speaking of TikTok, here's THAT viral mascara video from Mikayla Nogueira. Post continues below.

And while a lot of people appear to be shocked and generally alarmed about the reality of how they might look one day, others are quite positive and almost comforted by the appearance of their future shelf — with some noticing comparisons to their mums or relatives who have passed away. 

There's also been a lot of celebrity action on the 'age filter' front, with everyone from Kylie Jenner to Hailey Bieber sharing their results.

@kyliejenner

♬ original sound - Kylie Jenner

Amy Poehler posted her version of the trend with the caption, "May I be so lucky."

@amypoehler

may I be so lucky

♬ Crack Rock - Frank Ocean

There are even old videos circulating of celebrities with the filter, proving how scarily accurate the technology actually is. 

In particular, there's old video footage of Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler doing the rounds. It's been overlayed with the filter and split with the original footage, before showing how they look now. 

And you have to admit, it's pretty... spot on.

@janeyourbestie #agedfilter #oldcelebrities ♬ Originalton - F🦋

There's also been a number of experts — from plastic surgeons to dermatologists — who have shared their two cents on the topic, claiming that the filter is in fact an accurate prediction of ageing.

For example, in a viral video, LA-based facial plastic surgeon Dr Monica Kieu said, "The accuracy of this filter is so spot on." 

She went on the explain that as our face ages, our skin changes, and our bodies produce more melanin, which causes hyperpigmented spots (those dark age spots). 

@drmonicakieu Aging is a privilege! It will happen to all of us, but there are definitely ways to embrace it on your own terms. Let’s commit to aging with kindness and self-confidence ❤️ ✨ #aginggracefully #agingwell #agingfilter #agedfilter #drkieutips ♬ original sound - Dr Monica Kieu

She added, "We produce less collagen as we age, which causes thinning of the skin and wrinkles. Our skin tends to get drier and more dull as well, and that makes the already-thin under-eye skin even more crepey and the underlying vessels are more visible, which gives us a dark discolouration of the eyelids."

"No, our noses don't grow larger, but instead it loses structural support from the skin and cartilage. So it tends to droop and get wide. What a lot of people don't realise is that we lose bone as we age, and this loss of skeletal support will make the eyes look more hollow and also make the jaw less defined."

What happened when I tried the 'age filter.'

Now, as a beauty editor, I preach positivity around ageing. I write about the ins and outs of it almost daily and ultimately know that ageing itself is, of course, a privilege. 

And while I'm all for embracing the signs of natural ageing, I'm also all for doing whatever you feel necessary to feel good about yourself, if that's what you want to do — whether that be laser treatments, injectables, peels, etc.

Part of my job involves stripping away all that beauty industry marketing BS that tells consumers they need to 'fix' their ageing faces. The other part of my job is helping demystify the confusing world of aesthetic treatments, for those that do want to explore that space. 

I regularly chat with experts about what different types of treatments do, what's involved, and what to look out for best results.

As with everything Mamamia stands for, I'm very much 'you do you' — and I'd like to think I take this approach to how I write and talk about beauty (especially on the You Beauty podcast). 

I'm aware that ageing is inevitable. I know that it's something we'll all experience. But, it's your personal choice how you want to approach it. I'm just here to give you the right tools.

Which brings me to my personal feelings on the filter. 

For a bit of background, I'm 32 this year. And while I feel very comfortable in my skin (despite my persistent hormonal breakouts after coming off the pill), I was honestly really surprised by how I felt when I tried it over the weekend.

I was with my older brother and my sister-in-law, and we all took a picture of ourselves with the filter on.

I thought my sister-in-law looked gorgeous with the filter. Her blonde hair was speckled with grey streaks, and her face looked happy and warm, with a few subtle-looking smile lines around her eyes. 

My brother (one of the first guys I've actually seen try it...) also looked great. Bit weathered. A few forehead lines. Grey specks in his hair. 

They both looked around 50 years old, max — yet when it was my turn, I couldn't help but feel a little shocked. I thought to myself, did I look... older than them? Why?

For me, and I’m almost ashamed to say it, looking at my older self almost scared me. To be honest, it made me feel a little sad.

It pretty much put a spotlight on all the things I'm insecure about, intensifying them tenfold. The deeply etched nasolabial folds now stretching downwards towards my chin. The crow's feet. The notorious under-eye circles — which I colour correct and conceal every day — hollowed and dark.

It terrified me that, as I age, these are the very features that'll become more pronounced. And there probably isn't a whole lot I can do unless I want to go ham on surgical treatments.

Here's what I looked like before and after trying TikTok's 'age filter':

Image: Supplied

My reaction caught me off guard. And it got me thinking — why? Why isn't it helping me appreciate and embrace change? 

Or have I, even as someone who advocates for natural ageing, simply just become conditioned to dread the physical appearance that lies ahead of me?

Freelance writer Melissa Mason shared an interesting and thought-provoking take on the ageing filter, discussing how the filter is essentially bringing out our internal ageism.

In her recent Instagram post, she wrote: "Why are we so revolted by the signs of ageing on our own faces? Because we’ve been conditioned to believe that it’s our life’s mission to claw our way back to our 18-year-old face/body until we die. Centuries of this obsession with youth. Endless ad campaigns."

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A post shared by Melissa Mason (@melissamason_)

"How sad that we spend every year past 30 critiquing our faces and bodies because they’re showing the history of our lives. I don’t want to do it anymore. I’m so tired of this internal hatred of what my face and my body are naturally supposed to do. Change. Grow. Reflect the years."

She went on to write: "It’s not a light switch. It’s a daily fight to stop the negative process but I’m committing to it because I don’t want to hate these signs of life. Ageing is living. Let’s celebrate it."

Truly, it’s not just an internal 'thing' telling us we need to look young, forever — women have become accustomed to this. Society tells us this. The beauty industry tells us this.

And I'm not immune to it.

'Anti-ageing' is big business, and it's the beauty industry's biggest marketing success. There's money to be made in the business of telling people they need to stop their skin from ageing and 'slow down' the inevitable — and, as a result, it has intrinsically changed the way we talk/think/act about getting older. 

In fact, recent statistics show that the global anti-ageing market is worth a whopping $71.1 billion USD in 2023 — and it's only set to keep growing. By 2030, it's predicted to grow to 120 billion USD.

However, at the same time, it can be argued that in 2023, we're supposedly more age-positive than ever. 

Not only are we beginning to see a broader representation, but the market is exploding with more and more brands focusing on skin health over 'reversing' or 'correcting' ageing features. 

Age has, arguably, become the new diversity. 

But while all of these positive changes point to a shift in our cultural ideals, and essentially help us re-process how we view ageing, it certainly doesn't mean the rhetoric around ageing is dead. 

Clearly. *Gestures to self*.

As writer Melissa Mason said in her post, re-wiring the way we think about ageing is not like flicking a light. 

You can't simply just switch it off.

I'm nowhere where I thought I'd be — or where I want to be — when it comes to my expectations of how I want to look as I age. But the good news is, at the crux of this viral filter, is the fact that it has people talking about their ageing face. Sharing their thoughts. Learning from others. Creating a conversation.

Sure, the buzz around the 'age filter' will come and go — it'll be replaced with something else in the space of, like, a week. But if my experience offers anything, this filter has encouraged me to pivot from my path and re-examine my own ideals around ageing. 

Because, as it turns out, beauty editors are human too.

Have you tried TikTok's age filter? What are your thoughts? Share with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Supplied/Erin Docherty.