Katie Couric’s latest Instagram post is not like her others, and not only because the longtime journalist shared a rare selfie, but also because of the message that she shared with fans as well.
Sporting glasses and pajamas, the 61-year-old posted a makeup-free image of herself to social media for her fans, hoping it’d inspire them to appreciate their own natural look, People reports.
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“An article in the latest issue of JAMA says plastic surgeons are increasingly getting requests to make people look as good as they do in their selfies after they edit them,” Couric captioned the photo, referring to a recent study regarding new, social media–inspired plastic surgery trends. “Researchers call it ‘Snapchat dysmorphia’ and say it is having a negative impact on self-esteem and can even trigger body dysmorphic disorder, which is classified as a mental illness. Clearly, I am bucking that trend. I also have a terrible sore throat. #happymonday.”
The report that Couric cites—it was released August 2—has been circulating quite a bit over the past week. Researchers from the study say they’ve found an uptick in people asking for plastic surgery to recreate the flawless, filtered version of themselves that they see on apps like Snapchat and Instagram. This new trend of ‘Snapchat dysmorphia’ was dubbed “alarming” by researchers and they claim that “filtered selfies often present an unattainable look and are blurring the line of reality and fantasy for these patients.”
Because experts have categorized ‘Snapchat dysmorphia’ as a version of body dysmorphic disorder, it’s clear that this condition is more concerning than most would assume. While plastic surgery is a personal decision that should never be judged or questioned by others, it’s always good to be reminded that your natural self is beautiful too, which is why we couldn’t be happier that Couric decided to share her refreshing perspective with fans.