#fixthings

[necrocrunk]

DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO CODE IN MCREATOR OR MINECRAFT MODS IN GENERAL IM EXPLODING AND DYING AND I NEED HELP

[archive-drew-no-longer]

foynd out that one of my fr inds hasa super fmaous really distant singer relative and her dadhas photos woth him amd it's super cool

[noiirem00n]

THERE IS AN UNGODLY AMOUNT OF STAIRES AT MY SUMMER SCHOOL

[happytogether23]

🪞Do I Look Like My Selfie?

“Do I look like my selfie?” This isn’t just a meme-worthy question—it’s a reflection of a deeper social anxiety I’ve witnessed in myself and many others. As a student who regularly scrolls through Instagram and applies filters to look a little “better,” I’ve started to ask myself: what am I filtering out? This blog post is my reflection on how Augmented Reality (AR) filters have shifted from fun to something far more powerful—and sometimes, harmful.

👁 From Fun to Filtered Pressure

Snapchat’s early filters were silly and obvious—the infamous dog face or rainbow puke. But things have changed. We’ve entered an age of ambient filters that edit our faces subtly, creating the illusion of flawlessness. Lavrence and Cambre (2020) describe this as ambient filtering—so subtle it’s hard to detect, yet it shapes our understanding of what “natural” beauty looks like. This resonates with Rettberg’s (2014) idea of Instagram as a platform that subtly trains users to present an idealized life.

🔍 The Digital-Forensic Gaze

We’ve all done it: zoomed in on a selfie and asked, “Is this face real?” That habit has a name—the digital-forensic gaze (Lavrence & Cambre, 2020). It’s the judgmental stare that detects filters but also enforces perfection. The more we search for flaws, the more we expect everyone to be flawless.

💄 Gendered Filters and Aesthetic Labor

I’ve noticed a pattern: my guy friends use silly filters, but my girl friends (myself included) use beauty filters—to fixthings.

Pescott (2020) calls this out: filters are gendered. Women do more aesthetic labour (Elias et al., 2017)—it’s unpaid work to make ourselves “presentable,” even digitally. Filters are marketed as fun, but for many of us, they feel like a requirement.

I Compared Myself to My Filtered Self

Here’s a confession: Sometimes I look at my filtered selfies and wish I looked like that in real life.

That’s Snapchat dysmorphia (Rajanala et al., 2018)—when people want plastic surgery to look like their filtered selfies. Burnell et al. (2021) found that the more you use filters, the more critical you become of your actual appearance. It’s a toxic loop.

 When Filters Enter Surveillance: Alipay’s Case

One of the most shocking case studies in class was when we learned Alipay added beauty filters to their facial recognition system. People wanted to look better in their bank app (Peng, 2020). This blurs the line between beauty and biometric control. If even our banking ID photos are filtered, what happens to authenticity?

Can Filters Be Feminist?

Not all filters are evil. Some artists use them for resistance—like glitch filters that distort rather than beautify. Haraway (1991) and Coy-Dibley (2016) argue that tech can empower identity beyond binaries. But Miller & McIntyre (2022) say this is rare. Most filters reinforce the same beauty norms. We need to push for more creative, inclusive tools.

🪞Final Reflection: Why Do I Want to Look Like That?

Filters aren’t just editing tools. They’re shaping culture, beauty, and identity. As students—and users—we need to ask harder questions. Do I look like my selfie? Maybe the real question is: Why do I want to? As a student, I’m learning to balance creativity and critical thinking—even in the way I post online.

📚 References

Coy-Dibley, I. (2016). Digitised dysmorphia. Palgrave Communications https://www.nature.com/articles/palcomms201640

Elias, A., Gill, R., & Scharff, C. (2017). Aesthetic Labour: Rethinking Beauty Politics in Neoliberalism. Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137476661

Fredrickson, B. L., & Roberts, T. (1997). Objectification theory. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21(2), 173–206.

Fredrickson, B. L., & Roberts, T. (1997). Objectification theory. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21(2), 173–206. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1367549417705604

Haraway, D. (1991). A Cyborg Manifesto. The Anarchist Library. https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/donna-haraway-a-cyborg-manifesto

Lavrence, C., & Cambre, C. (2020). “Do I look like my selfie?”: Filters and the digital-forensic gaze. Feminist Media Studies. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2056305120965155

Miller, L., & McIntyre, K. (2022). From surgery to Cyborgs. Feminist Media Studies. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14680777.2020.1750779

Peng, A. (2020). Alipay adds “beauty filters” to face-scan payments. TechNode. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14680777.2020.1750779

Pescott, C. (2020). “I wish I was wearing a filter right now.” Journal of Youth Studies. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1461444821993038

Rettberg, J. W. (2014). Seeing ourselves through technology. Palgrave Macmillan. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137476661

[trueallycasey]

I used to use Twitter as my venting ground, but I left there, so y'all can enjoy it.

I'm a stress induced asthmatic. It happens if I'm overwhelmed for too long, but I can usually cut just a few things out and fixthe problem.

I've been having trouble breathing for a few weeks now, and I don't think I can do anything about my stress.

I'm finally going to college this fall, which is going to be expensive and hard to pay for. I'm terrified by all that I'll have to do in the hopes of affording it.

I'm also currently nearing AP Exams at my school. I feel unprepared and overloaded. One class just has so much wide-ranging information that I don't think I'll ever really know all of it. The other is entirely programming, which anyone who has ever tried to do programming knows is full of constant reminders that you don't understand it as well as you think you do.

The last big, long-lasting thing is about my mother. It's not safe to be upset around her. If I show the slightest sign of annoyance, or disappointment, or hesitation, she acts as though I told her she's the worst person in the world and that I'd rather her be dead.

Today, specifically, a close friend of mine ended up having a mental and physical emergency. I got to hear it from their boyfriend because it affected our D&D session. I was terrified. I felt helpless. Even now that the full emergency has subsided, I just want to know things are okay. I want to be told that things are alright. Verbally. Not just through a text.

I just want to breathe again.

[demonstars]

grabbing u and putting you in bed, eepies

INENEWD TO KNOW IF THEY FIXTHE LEGAL SYSTEM

[peadoodles]

One of the first Peadoodles! Here's to those who fix things ☺ #peadoodles #playonwords #pun #foodpun #foodpuns #plummer #plum #plumber #fixit #wrench #fixthings #plumbing Description: a cartoon of a plum with a wrench looking under a sink. The caption is "plummer". https://www.instagram.com/p/CLj-kY6FMjk/?igshid=14470t57gtsii

[lifeovercoffee]

You can’t fix the world. . . . #rickthomas #biblicalcounseling #world #earth #planet #fixthings #brokenthings #repair #worldproblems #selfreliant #selfsufficient #prayer #change #transform #transformation #redemption #theocracy #god #bible #repent #repentance #selfimprovement #power #transforming #firstworld #thirdworld (at Rick Thomas) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1bULwij7f7/?igshid=j929sbw6rfpb

[theriverbeyond]

something i think is underutelized in griddlehark modern AUs and a really important thing about being a healthcare student is the classroom skeletons being absolutley fucked up. i'm talking joints out of place, skull in pieces & barely hanging on, limbs missing and the whole thing at all times just one touch away from falling over. i need to read about tiny Harrow being furious that the skeleton is misaligned, try to fix it, and then immediately be crushed under a falling 6ft tall skeleton model while Gideon laughs in the background

[love4hobi]

loml 4ever<33

[boardbysara]

On Love Lost and Handymen

There is nothing better or sexier to a single woman (at least this single woman) than a man who can take care of all of the handymen-household tasks that she would normally have to hire someone or beg family to do.

I love handymen.

I've always wanted a handyman as a significant other. Like, if you're not a handyman, I'm not interested. It is a hard requirement... no sexual innuendos intended! But I mean, he better be handy that way too...

I am SO un-handy that I don't even attempt to hang my art by myself, LOL. I waited months after moving into my current home until my much-handier aunt could drive hours to see me and do it for me! Horrible and pathetic, I know.

So imagine my delight when I started seeing someone last year was is a total handyman - does handyman type work for a living.

OMG... Installing an air conditioner, winterizing my home, unclogging drains, fixing my toilet, I can't even remember all the things I just remember the SHEER JOY from having someone I could easily call on every time I needed something handy done. He even arranged my brooms in a better way than I had and I marvel every time I use them.

Women love to feel taken care of (at least this woman does.) And is there anything that makes you feel more taken care of than having every need around your shelter and sanctuary taken care of?

It's kind of like carrying in the groceries.

I never feel more single than when I carry in my groceries by myself. To me, it is the pinnacle of all my single moments.

I just want someone who's always there to carry my groceries.

And fix the house.

Just take care of me.

Is that too much to ask?

I didn't really start realizing until shortly before we started seeing each other that acts of service are such a big receiving love language for me (it's one of my giving love languages too - I'm not a super great cook and I don't love to do it but damn I get such joy from cooking for my man.)

Carrying my groceries, fixing the house, taking care of my car, building things (like furniture)... and if he also wants to do some cooking...

SIGN.ME.UP.

The hot sex is just the icing on the cake.

Physical affection (which trust me, I am always down for) is # three on my love languages list - words of affection, acts of service, physical touch, time, and gifts - that's my order. And there's part of me that so badly wants this guy back, but also... if we could just be friends with the first two benefits, I could live with that.

Unfortunately, the relationship with this fix-it man ended, and I miss him, but I also miss my handyman. So do my wall sconces that just cost $40 to have a neighbor hang up :(

[mattisthetech-blog]

It's fun to take apart consoles, figure out the culprit of a problem and fix it! My team is awesome! This console was having an issue with the Little Lite port on it. My team tracked it down to the fuse and replaced it. #sound #audio #fixit #fixthings #console #production #lampport #badfuse #insta :) (: (at Grand Theatre Center for the Arts) https://www.instagram.com/p/B734wZeHRPf/?igshid=e3ksnpunkjxi

[auriala]

btw i might. take key to hell off wattpad and only have it on royal road

[basaplusbesa]

From IG: lenameyerlandrut My 3D face withe the cracks from Japanese kintsugi art by @sucukundbratwurst and @selamxstudio This artwork is going viral at the moment and I can’t be happier about it. It means so much to me. To not throw broken things away. No matter it it’s materialistic or emotional. To fix broken things. No matter if it’s physical or mental. To invest time and money in yourself in others. In the end the value always grows. even, or because maybe BECAUSE you didn’t choose the easy way.

[grimmmons]

things really aren’t okay without you

[bigmansbigbigblog]

dreamsent me a message on the communicator asking if I want tohelp him with the Experiments and YES THANK FUCKINGPRIME IM SO BORED. and I wannaj help FixThe world :D he will be coming in TWENTY MINuTes 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚 < iused to use these for tubo but they fit with dream to. green people are the coolest!

not partificating in them until next monjhday though :( i eanna be helpful I hate being useless.