An app now exists solely for the purpose of adding or removing makeup to any photo, with the implied purpose to show women barefaced.
Going by the name of MakeApp, its Apple Store description reads, "MakeApp lets you add or remove makeup from any face! Choose a photo or video, press one button and let the app do its magic!" In an interview with Business Insider, the app's creator, Ashot Gabrelyanov, says he developed the technology to help authorities recognize victims of human trafficking. "In most of these cases, makeup is heavily used to disguise the age and/or identity of these people," Gabrelyanov said. "If human traffickers can hide these victim's identities, their chances of rescue are low. When security services show an image and say, 'Is this your daughter?,' heavily applied permanent makeup often makes the identification process quite difficult. We hope our technology may help families and authorities identify victims for rescue."
It's hard to avoid the app's sexist undertones outside of that specific case (especially when the app's own description lists no such mention). So far, people have used it to show what celebrities look like without makeup. Whether you use makeup to show the world the self you want to be, for a quick confidence boost or as armor before you go out into the world, how you approach makeup is a choice people make for themselves. It gives women (and men) agency—and an app that claims to strip makeup from photos and show the "real" person behind it is just plain problematic.
Just because a person is wearing make-up, doesn't mean they aren't "real."
It relies on the idea that people use makeup to "trick" others.
This app was probably created by a bitter ex-boyfriend, designed to hurt the women who dumped him.
What say you? Do you think this app is sexist?
