为什么改变我们容貌的压力从未如此之大

为什么改变我们容貌的压力从未如此之大

We have long tried to tweak the features nature dealt us, whether with magic creams, gadgets or exercise. But today, when approximately two billion images are uploaded every day to social media -- nearly 100 million of which are estimated to be selfies, according to Helfand -- the pressure to appear beautiful has never been higher.

长久以来，我们都在试图改变大自然赋予我们的容貌，无论是使用神奇的面霜、小工具还是锻炼。但如今，每天大约有20亿张照片被上传到社交媒体上，据海尔芬说，其中估计有1亿张照片是自拍照，让自己看起来漂亮的压力从未像现在这样大。

"We're so quick to judge and measure, and having cryptic ways of comparing ourselves to each other is unfortunately on the rise," Hefland said. "I think particularly for young people, the traffic and use of your face as a form of currency to gain likes and popularity struck me as really not where civilization needed to be going."

海尔芬说：“我们判断和衡量的速度非常快，而用神秘的方式来比较自己和别人的情况正在增加。”我认为，尤其是对年轻人来说，把你的脸作为一种货币的形式做交换来获得喜欢和人气，这让我感到非常震惊，因为这并不是文明发展的方向。”

As Helfand notes in the book, the selfie has powered a global beauty industry valued at $532 billion, driven by our desire to share images on social media -- "the world's creepiest popularity contest" as Helfand puts it.

正如海尔芬在书中指出的那样，自拍推动了全球美容业的发展，其价值达到了5320亿美元，这是由于人们渴望在社交媒体上分享照片——用海尔芬的话说，这是“世界上最令人毛骨悚然的人气竞赛”。

A proliferation of apps that can morph our features in seemingly unlimited ways has fueled our desire to experiment.

越来越多的应用程序似乎可以无限地改变我们的面貌，这促使了我们尝试的欲望。

There are playful ones that transform us into koalas or zombies, or blend our faces with our favorite celebrities; and apps that airbrush skin, alter eyebrows, noses, lips, and even change our perceived gender or race.

有些好玩的应用程序会把我们变成考拉或僵尸，或者把我们的脸和我们最喜欢的名人混在一起;还有一些应用可以涂抹皮肤，改变眉毛、鼻子、嘴唇，甚至改变我们感知到的性别或种族。

Cosmetic procedures are also booming, with some thanks to the selfie: In 2017 there was a 55% increase in nose jobs according to the American Academy of Plastic Surgeons. "The uptick in people wanting nose jobs was very much a function of people saying they didn't like the way their noses looked in selfies," Helfand said.

整容手术也在蓬勃发展，这在一定程度上要归功于自拍:根据美国整形外科医生学会的数据，2017年鼻子整形手术增加了55%。“想做鼻子整形手术的人增多很大程度上是因为人们不喜欢自己的鼻子在自拍中的样子，”海尔芬说。

While it may seem as though our increasingly visual culture is pushing us ever closer to conformity, Helfand sees areas of positive change, too. For generations we have failed to protect and preserve non-Western images, leading to a dearth of diversity in surviving archives.

虽然越来越多的视觉文化似乎在推动我们更接近一致性，但海尔芬也看到了一些积极的变化。几代人以来，我们未能保护和保存非西方面貌，导致现存档案缺乏多样性。

Today, with 3.5 billion smartphone users in the world, we now have easy access to a kaleidoscope of faces online.

今天，全世界有35亿智能手机用户，我们可以很容易地在网上看到千变万化的面孔。

But has this increased representation led to more inclusive beauty standards? Hefland isn't so sure. "I wish I could say yes," she said.

但是，这种增加的代表性是否导致了审美标准更具包容性呢? 海尔芬不那么肯定。“我希望我能说是，”她说。

"Of course there are many more outlets for showing different faces, different bodies... Beauty standards take a much longer time to change."

“当然有更多的渠道来展示不同的面孔，不同的身体。。。审美标准的改变需要更长的时间。”

You're looking at humanity when you look at faces. It isn't about the one person who is as pretty as Kim Kardashian West, it's about connecting to a much deeper humanity. That gives me hope.

当你看脸的时候，其实你看到的是人性。这不是一个像金·卡戴珊·韦斯特一样漂亮的人，而是与更深层次的人性的联系。这给了我希望。