It's empowering to see middle-aged (or older) actors continuing to portray incredible characters, and it's especially powerful when they age gracefully without excessive procedures or filters used.
Hannah Waddingham, well-known for her incredible performance in Ted Lasso, is a lovely example of this, performing strong and independent female characters and seeming to put that into practice in her life, as well.
TikToker "Caroline in the City" was concerned, then, after watching Waddingham's latest show, Ride or Die on Prime. In a video, the TikToker pointed out that beauty filters were clearly being used on select facial features.
While the expression lines on her forehead and on her cheeks when she smiles or frowns were still visible in the new show, her undereyes are totally smooth with no natural creases or aging lines.
TikToker Caroline said:
"I was watching 'Ride or die,' and I couldn't believe how much skin softening had been applied."
"They’ve been very selective with this application. You’ll notice in the show that most of her forehead lines, as well as lines around her face and her neck, are all there."
"However, the area underneath her eye has been completely smoothed out."
"Once you see it, you can't unsee it, and it might ruin the rest of the show for you."
You can watch the video here:
Some pointed out that the filters conflicted with Waddingham's performance.
The problem with this is that the smoothing filters conflict with her facial expressions, making her expressions, particularly involving her eyes, less effective or believable.
@caroline_in_thecity/TikTok
@caroline_in_thecity/TikTok
@caroline_in_thecity/TikTok
@vancitycaroline/Instagram
@vancitycaroline/Instagram
Others reassured that Waddingham was aging beautifully and did not need the assistance of filters.
@caroline_in_thecity/TikTok
@caroline_in_thecity/TikTok
@caroline_in_thecity/TikTok
@caroline_in_thecity/TikTok
@caroline_in_thecity/TikTok
@caroline_in_thecity/TikTok
@vancitycaroline/Instagram
Filters have been used for decades, from coloration of a film to incredible makeup artistry, to transform the look and feel of the movie and its characters.
But selectively filtering an actor's face to smooth certain features feels less like an embrace of natural aging and natural beauty, and much more like an underlying message of only some aging being beautiful. It's a harmful message to spread, and it's important that it's being discussed.
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