An influencer lost 1.4 lakh followers soon after a livestream. Blame it all on her beauty filter malfunction.
A viral video on social media shows a Chinese live-streamer’s beauty filter briefly failing during a live session. For a moment, her natural face appears with normal skin texture and a warmer tone.
The filter then quickly returns, giving her a smooth, pale and doll-like look with larger eyes and a slimmer jaw.
The clip spread widely on platforms like X and Instagram. One of the viral videos claims that she lost 1,40,000 followers immediately after the glitch.
This report is based on user-generated content from social media. LiveMint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
In the 4-second video, the streamer is seen in a bedroom setting with soft lighting and a floral headboard. She has long black hair and wears a purple strapless top with gold jewellery.
Her expression remains calm throughout. She gently adjusts her hair and smiles once the filter returns. Then, she continues as if nothing happened.
Chinese live-streamers often broadcast for long hours on platforms like Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. They interact with viewers, sing, dance or promote products while earning money through virtual gifts sent by fans.
These gifts are bought with real money and converted into income. The influencer’s appearance plays a very important role in attracting attention and tips.
Many streamers use strong beauty filters that enlarge eyes, smoothen skin and reshape facial features to match popular beauty standards. Typically, it increases engagement, especially from male viewers.
The viral filter glitch reminds many of a 2019 incident involving a vlogger known as “Your Highness Qiao Biluo”. Her filter failure revealed she was much older than fans believed.
The influencer had over 1 lakh followers on Douyu and used beauty filters while gaining gifts worth large sums of money. During a joint stream on 25 July 2019, she asked for expensive donations before showing her face.
When the filter suddenly failed, viewers saw her real appearance. Many VIP subscribers left immediately, and several followers unfollowed her, according to the BBC.
Although she first lost support, the controversy later increased her fame.
In the current case, the streamer’s identity is unknown. Online reactions are mixed. Some users criticise the perceived deception. Others say her natural appearance looks more genuine and appealing than the filtered version.
Social media reactions
Rumours suggest China may introduce rules to limit excessive beauty filters in live streaming. These measures are said to target misleading digital appearances and promote authenticity.
“Filters should be criminalised,” reacted a social media user.
“She looks nicer (without the filters) than that Chinese ghost look,” commented another.
Another user wondered, “Do the Chinese honestly think the girl on the left (without filter) looks physically repulsive and the girl on the right looks like a real person?”
However, some users thought losing 1.40 lakh followers was justified.
“Can’t blame the 140k,” wrote one of them.
“Her account should’ve been banned for misleading fans,” came from another.
Another user posted, “When the filter drops, reality hits harder than the algorithm.”
“That really shows how much social media culture is shaped by filters and curated images. It’s unfortunate when appearance becomes the main reason people follow or unfollow someone. Authenticity usually builds stronger, longer-term support than perfection ever could,” wrote another.
