By now most of the Queer Universe has seen Barbie… and by Barbie I mean Ken… and by Ken I mean Ryan Gosling’s perfect abs, seemingly-permanent baby face, and bleach blonde locks.
Even a movie about the pitfalls of trying to obtain idealized perfection can’t stop the gays from wanting to channel their Ken-ergy and look younger, and now there’s a new TikTok filter, dubbed “Aged”, to make us dislike ourselves even more. Woohoo!
A few weeks ago, TikTok unveiled its own version of a popular “old age effect” from FaceApp, only this time it has its own aging AI filter with even more accuracy, which lets you peer into your “gay-daddy” era, providing a sneak-peek of what you might look like five decades down the road.
Let’s face it, we’re all going to end up a “daddy” at some point (if we’re lucky!), and gay men are finding it impossible to resist seeing what exactly that could mean for them. Unfortunately, what you get is less the first “Golden Bachelor” on the upcoming season of the ABC dating show, and more…..this…
“Why is it that when my girlfriends’ do this filter, they look like cast members on And Just Like That…, and I look like I’m about to vote to ban abortion in Indiana?”, TikToker @keenanblogger hilariously quips, as a less hot Matthew Modine-looking doppelganger hovers above his younger self, mimicking every word.
“This age filter turns gay guys into Fox News dads #agedfilter,” says the quote in the post.
Wow, this filter is crueler than we thought.
“Aged” fast-forwards you through time, presenting an older version of yourself, complete with wrinkles, sagging creases, dry and blotchy skin, and other signs of aging. It also compares this vision of tomorrow side-by-side with your current appearance, offering a chilling comparison of the aging process. Trying the filter ourselves, we can’t help but agree that the app does seem to bring out “Fox News dad” in many of us.
Apparently, the the AI analyzes your facial structure and applies aging algorithms to your features to create a a vision of your older self. How accurate is it? Who knows! But we can only hope it’s way, way off.
Needless to say, gay masochists across the platform are getting in on the fun.
In the below post, @ryanthomasmakeup captions his “Aged”-filter video with, “I’m giving masc Mrs. Claus who smokes 2 packs a day with the overworked elves in the break room to talk s*hit about Santa”.
Even RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 4 contestant Sminty Drop, got in on the action, gasping in utter shock when she sees themselves. “Why does it have to make my skin have even more acne? Surely I would have, like, less acne as an old person”, she ponders. Fair question…
Another post truly had us howling, featuring a guy saying, “F You dude, F you! I look decrepit. I look homophobic, and I’m gay…like how does that work, you know?”
For other TikToker’s like @walle871, who captioned his video “#agedfilter #lgbt🌈 #gayboy”, the “Aged” filter seemed to be a little less cruel.
“Aged” is at least the third age-related trend to go viral on TikTok this year, with the #agedfilter hashtag used more than a 169 million times in less than a week back in July, according to The Washington Post.
But with queer people in particular, the filter seems to trigger deep seated fears around aging out of the community. Youthfulness has always been over-valued in our culture, especially since attractiveness can lead to sexual viability, which can lead to validation.
Add on top of that looking like a crusty right-wing white Republican, no wonder the filter is terrorizing so many in our community.
But we know that’s not going to stop you. if you want to see your future “daddy” self, follow these steps below:
- Open TikTok.
- Click on the plus button to open the camera.
- Tap on the effects button, then the magnifying glass.
- In the search bar, type ‘Aged.’
- Select the filter of the same name.
- Hold the record button to try the effect.
Be warned, this filter is for entertainment purposes, so don’t let it get to your head and trigger insecurities. Have some fun with it, just like The Old Gays did back in 2021 with a previous age filter.
“What filter is this? Is it the aging one?”, knowing perfectly well that no filter had been applied.
We hope we can keep that sense of humor when it’s our turn!
Huron132
This is so funny! But reality is a bi$ch and we all have to embrace it with the love we can give.
RIGay
I don’t need a filter – I just have to look in the mirror and I see my father at 62 because I AM 62.