In the continuing saga of “Misogynistic Traps: They’re Everywhere,” a man created an app that reveals what a person would look like without makeup on. Because no woman put on a Snapchat filter wondering what they’d look like barefaced, we have balm cleansers for that. And as for the creepy men who believe in the creed of “Take her swimming on the first date”? Congratulations on getting a step closer to an app which gives you the ability to look underneath their clothes. Gross.
It’s called MakeApp and comes at $0.99 per download. Ashot Gabrelyanov, creator of the said app, claims that the media outlets are the ones making the creators look like “a bunch of ‘tech bros’ trying to hurt women, which is so far from the truth.” Buzzfeed notes the Ashnot is a pro-Russia propagandist and was once behind LifeNews, a pro-Russia news portal. Ashnot also emphasized that the app also has other features. MakeApp can also simulate what you’d look like with makeup on. But that’s nothing new, right?
Sure, it’s not hurting women, they said. But it’s clear that the power to look under a woman’s face beat whenever you want is downright creepy. It falls right next to the microtransgressions that go “You’re so much prettier without makeup” or “You wear too much makeup.”
Women who have used the app have expressed how attacked they feel. They also said that the app’s no-makeup function adds shadows to your face and blemishes that don’t exist. It also lightens dark skin. Great, so the app isn’t just apparently misogynistic, it’s a bit racist as well.
Clearly, it adds to the perception that women’s makeup, a matter of personal choice and self-improvement, is taken lightly. Who cares what you want to present to the world and how many minutes you spent getting your foundation just right? It’s just a flimsy thing men can take from you or even tax you for it because your right to self-expression doesn’t matter. We’ll strip you of it without you knowing and even make fun of you. Nevermind that it’s a violation of privacy.
And, no surprises, here, it’s already being used by trolls to make fun of women.
It makes me shudder to think someone gave people this kind of power without a second thought. With all the potential of technology, we ended up with something so useless but also damaging. No, I don’t want to hear the “It’s just makeup” comments because as much as going without is important, the option to go with it is something that should only be dictated by the face it’s going to be applied on. It shouldn’t be subject to the hands of men who want to shame women.
But here we are. What is the world coming to?
Art by Lara Intong
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