Ashley James says Instagram filters make her feel ‘dysmorphia’

Ashley James has admitted that Instagram filters have led her to have feelings of ‘dysmorphia’ and being unhappy with her looks.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 33, took to her Instagram Stories and showed her followers a photo of herself where half of her face had a filter on it and the other half didn’t.    

The social media influencer highlighted the difference that filters can make so she could show her followers the damage they can cause to someone’s self-esteem.

She wrote: ‘I wanted to show why I think the Paris filter is so damaging to us. This is a photo of my face… You can see the lines, pores, minor blemishes, even bits of makeup fallen down onto my lips. Now I’m going to show you the same photo with the Paris filter on…

‘My skin is pure and blemish free, the makeup looks more flawless, the lines more palatable. Of course I prefer my face looking like this, but it’s not real life. 

‘The more I see my face like this, the more I wish my real face looked that way. So the unhappier in my real skin I feel… That is where surface insecurities creep in… 

‘The dysmoprhia, and when we start to want to change our appearance… Which by the way, can lead to more insecurities (especially if it goes wrong or we feel like aliens in our own skin).’

Ashley added that people can often compare themselves to to those they see on social media but might not really know what that person looks like in real life without any digital enhancements.

She said: ‘I’m certainly not against anti-ageing products (give me them all)  or people choosing to have cosmetic alterations. Whatever makes us happy. 

‘But I think these fillers can create insecurities within us. Especially if we find ourselves thinking… “I wish I had her skin”, when we see people online. 

‘We don’t know what they really look like, especially in average lighting (I’m using a ring light).’

It comes after Ashley revealed that the mystery pains in her side that left her hospitalised over the weekend were due to a severe trapped nerve.

The DJ, who is five months pregnant with her first child, shared selfies from a maternity ward on Instagram on Saturday night after being admitted as a precaution.

Speaking about the incident on Monday, Ashley thanked her boyfriend Tom Andrews for waiting outside the hospital for 10 hours.

Tom, 30, had been forced to wait outside as hospitals reduce the number of people allowed on wards amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Ashley, who famously championed single life, started dating tech professional Tom in October 2019 when they reconnected after meeting a decade earlier at work.

Six months later, the couple discovered they were having their first baby after Tom moved into Ashley’s London home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In July, the loved-up couple discovered they are expecting a baby boy, who is due in January 2021.