GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. – Snapchat is facing criticism for a face-altering filter that some users say “whitewashes” a person’s skin.
The flower crown filter debuted during the first weekend of the Coachella music festival in April. Snapchat users soon noticed that the filter lightened their skin, hair and eyes. Some people argue the crown of flowers is a distraction from the whitening, calling the filter offensive because it encourages fairer skin tones.
This is not the first time a Snapchat filter has created controversy. In April, the image sharing app came under fire for a Bob Marley filter which some users deemed “digital blackface.”
Snapchat has not commented on the recent backlash.
